Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was founded in India in 1968 to provide technology services for companies which at that time were using punch cards to operate their technology. Since then they have grown to be the fourth-largest provider of information technology (IT) services in the world behind names like IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Accenture. With 380,000 employees worldwide and still growing, they are challenged to hire and develop their teams to operate using the latest technological advancements. To keep up with these constant advances in IT, TCS has created support programs that keep employees proficient in cutting edge technology from the day they are hired.

TCS new hires immediately engage in TCS’s Initial Learning Program (ILP). The program was created with a dual purpose. First, it teaches new employees the latest technologies that are so new they weren’t introduced into their coursework in school. Additionally, they begin to learn about the nuts and bolts of the industries they will be providing technical support to. Not only will new employees learn about current IT challenges that are unique to that industry (manufacturing, retail, hospitality, etc.), they will be taught the operational structures including processes involved from product development to delivery of that product or service to the consumer. New employees leave the ILP ready and able to contribute to their consulting teams.

Moore’s Law states that computer processing speed doubles every 18 months. TCS has developed a series of Continuous Learning Programs (CLP) to help their consulting team members keep up with this rate of change in technology and software the propels it. TCS team members are provided ongoing training to further develop communication and leadership skills. Their high-tech customers such as Oracle also provides training on the newest technologies. TCS has recently entered unique alliances with these partners, now helping them to develop new technologies. By doing so, TCS team members learn these technologies from the ground up, making them the logical vendor to service them as they get released to the market.

Tata Consulting Services model can only be successful if it can acquire the intellectual talent needed meet its needs. TCS has developed an IT outreach program called GoIT. Now operating in 32 cities in North America, GoIT is run by TCS employees that teach middle and high school students how to program in a fun, engaging, and competitive environment. Why? To fuel its growth in North American TCS plans to hire 500 employees this year, 1,500 next year, and 2,500 in two years to support its growth. TCS understands that to ensure their long term business model becomes reality they need to attract students to information technology careers while they are still in the K-12 school system.

U.S. News and World Report recently ranked the best technology jobs topped by computer analyst (median salary – $82,710), software developer ($95,510), and web developer ($63,490). The median salaries indicate the value the industry places on people that have acquired these skills. Tata Consulting Services is a role model of how companies need to be actively involved in filling this IT talent pipeline and then playing an integral role in updating the skills of their team to service their customers. Welcome to the world of lifelong learning!

Steve Patchin is director of career services at Michigan Technological University.