Johannesburg, South Africa and Bangalore, India - February 17, 2014:
Wipro Ltd. (NYSE:WIT), a leading global Information Technology, Consulting and Outsourcing company, has announced plans to expand the intake of graduates for its successful internship programme in South Africa. Now in its second year, Wipro's local internship programme in South Africa had enrolled 70 graduates in 2013 and this will be increased to 150 in 2014.
"The internship programme is becoming a crucial enabler of Wipro's growth in Africa. For us, the programme is about nurturing talent for local leadership and ensuring that we have the right people on board – people who understand local culture, local markets and local customers across the African continent. We look for people that fit the entrepreneurial spirit of Wipro – those who have a willingness to learn and a creative and innovative bent of mind," said Saurabh Govil, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Wipro Ltd.
Internship applicants (B.SC students with a specialization in Mathematics and Science) from disadvantaged backgrounds are put through a process of entrance exams and interviews with local Wipro leadership to test attitudes to learning in addition to technical aptitude.
Post completion of the initial three months of theoretical training, the interns are interviewed for an apprentice role on a number of live projects. Once placed, the interns will receive supervised on-the-job training and mentorship for a further three months. The performance records will be reviewed and qualifying interns will be absorbed into Wipro's operations in South Africa.
Govil added, "The programme gives the interns a chance to work on ‘live' client projects, to gain in-depth experience in everything from software development and project management, to client relationships, and crisis management. The programme offers a very high chance of being absorbed into the company - the first batch of 30 interns from 2013 is now employed full-time at Wipro. This program literally opens up a world of opportunities to work on projects wherever Wipro operates."
Interns are assigned mentors, and receive weekly feedback and undergo periodic assessments on their performance. The overall curriculum has been designed to bridge the gap between campuses and the industry, and covers both technical and behavioural aspects.
In addition to South Africa, Wipro has an ‘India Gateway' internship programme for the United Kingdom wherein Wipro gives the interns an opportunity to spend 9 months in India to gain hands-on industry experience. The local internship programme is also being expanded to Germany and the Nordic Region, which are important markets for Wipro.
About Wipro Ltd.
Wipro Ltd. (NYSE:WIT) is a leading Information Technology, Consulting and Outsourcing company that delivers solutions to enable its clients do business better. Wipro delivers winning business outcomes through its deep industry experience and a 360 degree view of "Business through Technology" - helping clients create successful and adaptive businesses. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, a practitioner's approach to delivering innovation, and an organization wide commitment to sustainability, Wipro has a workforce of 140,000 serving clients across 61 countries. For more information, please visit www.wipro.com.
Media Contacts: India
Vipin Nair
Wipro Limited
+9180 39916260
vipin.nair1@wipro.com
Subhashini Pattabhiraman
Wipro Limited
+91 80 39916558
subhashini.pattabhiraman@wipro.com
South Africa
Jane Wessels
Wipro Limited
+27 110616500
jane.wessels@wipro.com
Forward-looking and Cautionary Statements
Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property, and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf.
