Bangalore: Software major Infosys today (July 27, 2004) said it aims to reduce training costs and time of new hires with "Campus Connect", a programme launched for improving the quality of graduates from engineering colleges in the country to suit IT industry requirements.

Infosys has committed Rs 10 crore for Campus Connect in the first phase for training students, faculty and providing industry inputs into the curricula for 30 engineering colleges across the country, Infosys, Vice President, Education and Research, M P Ravindra told reporters in Bangalore.

Infosys Chairman and Chief Mentor N R Narayana Murthy said platforms like Campus Connect will help interaction between the academia and industry and enhance the availability of talent, which is the "most important ingredient for our success".

Infosys, Ravindra said, spends about Rs two lakh per employee at the entry level and about 16 weeks before being put on a project.

"With the input of Campus Connect, we hope to shave off three months in training period," Ravindra said, while Infosys Director and CFO, T V Mohandas Pai, added," it would reduce costs by 40 per cent to 50 per cent".

Pai said enrolment of colleges was purely voluntary and students had the right to join any IT firm in the industry.

"We have to create more and more talent that suits our industry. This is the basis of Campus Connect", Murthy said, adding, other firms in the IT industry could join this initiative.