When Infosys steps out to train

It was the ‘huge unknown’ about India, the diversity and the unique experience of a thriving city and an age-old village co-existing at the same place that drew Briant Michael Eng from the United States of America to India.

Amidst palpable threats of terrorism, chaotic traffic snarls and breathtaking cultural and regional diversity, Briant, one of the interns at Infosys for the Instep programme, feels ‘at home’ in India.

For him, like many others across the globe, the Instep programme has given him the dual opportunity of being exposed to the diverse culture of India as well as the corporate hub in Bangalore.

This, as the chief mentor of Infosys, NR Narayana Murthy said, is the essence of the Instep programme. “Through the Instep programme, we wish to provide trainees from across the world the opportunity to see India — the good, the bad and the ugly,” he said.

With an objective to create a global platform for bright youngsters, the Instep programme was started in the year 1999.

Inaugurating the function that marked the 10th anniversary of the programme at Infosys on Monday, Narayana Murthy said, “What Mohan (Pai) and I discussed in 1999 has now reached a level of maturity, fruition and success. The objective of the programme was to create a platform for youngsters from the USA, particularly the developed world, to understand and appreciate India better and to understand and appreciate Infosys at the same time.”

The Instep programme started with visits to some of the well-known universities in the United States like the Stanford and MIT universities in the initial years of the programme.

“The idea was to invite students from these universities to spend a couple of productive years in India and at Infosys and understand India as a whole as well as make use of the global platform that Infosys provides,” Murthy added.

From three students in 1999, the programme now boasts of 664 trainees hailing from 41 countries deputed at its 21 development centres across the world.

The trainees belong to nations from across continents like the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, South America, Japan, Australia, South Africa and Lebanon to name a few.

It is this ad-mixture of cultures and people from across the globe that has made the moot mantra of the Instep programme a success. As the trainees proudly said, “Tomorrow’s career starts here.”

It’s opportunities galore at infy
When Brianna Dieter from the US  joined as an intern for the Instep programme at Infosys three years back, she was aware of the growth options in India. Now, Brianna is happy to become the Programme Manager, Global Academy Relations, at Infosys.

“The market was less saturated then. Growth options were many at Infosys and in India and the research opportunities about Indian culture were tempting,” she told DNA.

Besides, the value system at Infosys, a vibrant democracy and the advantage of speaking in English were three major “positives” to influence her decision to come to India. But what about the “bad and the ugly” as Murthy mentioned. 

“Well, it has been very difficult for me to get a gas connection. Apprehensions to rent a house to a single woman is still strong,” she said. The infamous chaotic traffic situation and the roads of Bangalore were not missed out here too.

Describing his first visit to India as ‘enticing’, Antonio El Khoury from Lebanon has just spent nine weeks in India. “I was interested to work with Infosys for a very long time. I read about it in the internet, but I had to convince my parents to allow me to come here,” he said.

Despite the repeated episodes of terror attacks in the recent past in India, Albert feels “safe” here. Teddy Ho, who was doing his MBA in Los Angeles describes his internship with Infosys as ‘ a complete package’. “Being here, it is interesting to learn to add a personal touch to hardcore professional matters,” Teddy said.

While many wish to assess the available opportunities in India, Briant Michael Eng, an intern, wishes to experience India at a cultural level and not a corporal level. “I want to stay back to learn about Indian culture at a deeper level,” he said.