Buffalo, New York: Making good on its commitment to expand its presence in and bring jobs to Buffalo, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) today celebrated the opening of its Chrysalis Training Center at Main Place Tower in downtown Buffalo, New York. TCS, a global IT services provider, will use the center to provide advanced IT training for new recruits and existing TCS employees in the North American Region. The firm has already hired 20 recruits primarily from Western New York, with plans to triple that number by mid-2005. TCS recruited both experienced IT professionals as well as new graduates, and is working directly with the region’s universities to identify candidates, including SUNY Buffalo, Buffalo State College, and Rochester University. The firm is actively recruiting additional qualified IT professionals. 

At a ribbon cutting ceremony, TCS and government officials underscored the firm’s already strong ties to the Buffalo area. Distinguished guests in attendance included Buffalo Mayor Anthony M. Masiello, Deputy Erie County Executive Carl Calabrese, and President and CEO of Buffalo Niagara Enterprise Thomas Kucharski, among other community, academic, and regional business leaders. 

“Increasingly, national and international firms are discovering that this region is home to a highly skilled, committed workforce that is prepared to serve the companies that are paving the road to the future,” said Mayor Masiello. “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.”

At the Chrysalis Center, TCS will host new employees in month-long training sessions where they will learn about the 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’s consultants handle for its customers. The program is modeled after TCS’ standard Initial Learning Program in India, which takes 3-4 months. The center will also cater to the training needs of the more than 8000 TCS employees across the U.S. The programs offered will cover both technical and soft skills, including the firm’s Continuous Learning Program, People Development Program, and Management Development Program.

“TCS brings to Western New York the world class training programs 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.” 

The training center 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 talents into advanced IT professionals who will lead the technology industry into the future. 

“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.”

TCS has extended its commitment to Western New York by employing the region’s resources whenever possible; for example, the walls of the Chrysalis training center display artwork by various regional artists such as Nancy Smith, Jackie Felix, Cathleen Sherin and Isabella Pelissier, and sourced from the Buffalo Arts Studio.

About Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is a leading global IT services provider and was the first billion-dollar Indian IT services organization by annual revenues. Since its inception in 1968, TCS has pioneered many of the significant developments in the Indian IT services industry, including the offshore delivery model for IT services.

TCS is a global organization with offices in 32 countries and development centers in 10 countries. TCS offers a comprehensive range of IT services to its clients in diverse industries such as banking and financial services, insurance, manufacturing, telecommunications, retail and transportation. TCS’ clients comprise of some of the world’s largest and well-known organizations. TCS has developed extensive experience in providing end-to-end IT services, integrating multiple technologies and delivering solutions in multiple geographies for its global clients. It is the largest Indian IT services organization in terms of revenues as well as profits.

TCS is part of the Tata Group, which has a heritage of over 135 years as one of India’s leading corporate groups. The Tata Group has interests in a diverse range of industries, and had combined sales of approximately Rs. 542 billion (US$11.8 billion) in fiscal 2003.