New York: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has opened a training centre in Buffalo in the New York State as part of its programme to expand its presence and bring jobs to the area.

A global information technology services provider, TCS will provide advanced training in IT to new recruits and the exiting employees in North American region.

The training centre is aptly named 'Chrysalis,' a word signifying the evolution of a larva into a butterfly. Company executives explain that this reference is analogous to the emergence of bright new talent into advanced IT professionals who will lead the technology industry into the future.

The firm said it has already hired 20 new recruits primarily from Western New York and has plans to triple that number by the middle of the next year.

TCS, in an apparent attempt to take heat off opposition to outsourcing, is recruiting both experienced IT professional and new graduates. It is working with the Universities in the region to identify candidates.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Buffalo Mayor Anthony M Masiello said increasingly national and international firms are discovering that this region is home to a highly skilled, committed workforce.

"TCS is one of those companies that will benefit from putting roots in Buffalo, but certainly Buffalo also benefits from TCS, its position as a global technology player, and its leadership in corporate social responsibility, from which New York citizens are already benefiting," he added.

At the centre, TCS will host new employees in a month-long training session where they would learn about company's history and culture as well as core IT skills that will bridge existing knowledge with advanced skills that are necessary to work on the innovative projects, the company said.

"TCS brings to Western New York the world class training programmes that have made the firm a global leader," said Deputy Erie County Executive Carl Calabrese.

"This is a win-win relationship in every sense -- TCS gains a highly skilled workforce, and Buffalo gains a corporate citizen who will make that workforce even stronger."

"Buffalo offers TCS the most critical resources required for business -- a strong workforce, highly skilled academic partners, a supportive economic infrastructure, and a regional economy that is poised for growth," said Arup Gupta, president of TCS America. "Ultimately, these factors will come to bear in the service we provide to our clients and to the IT and life sciences research communities. We look forward to what we can jointly accomplish in the years to come," he added.