NC State University and Infosys Collaborate to Develop Future Data Science Workforce

NC State University today announced a three-year collaboration with Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in consulting, technology and next-generation services, to help prepare the workforce of the future in data science by advancing employee education and skills development.

NC State expert faculty will provide training for Infosys employees in foundational data science skills such as statistics, data visualization, machine learning and programming in Python. Over the next three years, at least 150 new Infosys employees are expected to participate in the joint program which launched last month on NC State’s Centennial Campus.

“As we’ve been doing for more than 130 years, NC State remains dedicated to preparing a future-ready workforce and driving economic impact for North Carolina and our nation,” said Kevin Howell, NC State’s vice chancellor for external affairs, partnerships and economic development. “We are pleased to announce this important partnership with Infosys to provide innovative data science workforce training.”

The training is part of NC State Executive Education, a program that provides custom-designed solutions for companies to develop new skills across disciplines and business segments, resulting in increased innovation. Through NC State Executive Education, the university has partnered with global organizations including Biogen, Cisco Systems and MetLife, among others.

“Through interdisciplinary collaboration across NC State, we are uniquely positioned to partner with a future-focused company like Infosys to support their training and development needs,” said Frank Buckless, interim dean, professor of accounting and Matthew and Ruth Keen Faculty Fellow, Poole College of Management.

Infosys employees will learn from NC State faculty in statistics and computer science through an experiential learning framework. Each cohort of 25 employees will participate in six weeks of full-time training. The program enables new employees to develop advanced capabilities and promptly transition into roles at Infosys.

“We are excited to partner with Infosys, which is committed to developing a cutting-edge support model for their clients,” said Daniel McGurrin, Director, NC State Executive Education. “NC State’s executive education program over the past five years has offered customized data science training to more than a thousand professionals, preparing leaders who are able to improve data-driven decision-making in their organizations.”

“We are proud to partner with NC State University, an elite research institution whose data science programs are among the best in the world,” said Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys. “We operate the world’s largest corporate training facilities, with more than 200 classrooms and more than 300 full-time educators in several campuses globally. This multi-year collaboration will enable us to provide our employees with lifelong learning opportunities, help shrink the IT skills gap and provide our clients with fresh ideas that will keep them at the forefront of innovation.”

Infosys also opened its North Carolina Technology and Innovation Hub in Raleigh in August 2018, with plans to hire 2,000 American workers by 2021. The Hub is focused on delivering cutting-edge solutions in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, data and advanced analytics, cloud and big data.

“One of the main reasons Infosys selected Wake County for its North Carolina hub was the proximity to our leading research universities and community colleges,” said Michael Haley, Wake County Economic Development Executive Director and Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President of Economic Development. “The partnership with NC State is evidence of this.”