A 40-member youth delegation from Saudi Arabia, on a perception-changing visit to India, got first-hand experience of the country’s software power at IT giant Infosys Limited based in Bangalore.
They also visited higher education institutes including the L M Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research campus that spawn techies and business managers.
Forbes India ranked Welingkar institute 10th among the top private B-schools and eighth in the international linkages in its ‘Best Business School Survey’ last year.
“Our youth evinced keen interest in the various management programmes taught at the institute and projects undertaken to inculcate leadership qualities in the B-school students,” Mesfer, an official of the Saudi embassy in India accompanying the delegation said.
The visitors were also taken on a guided tour of the sprawling Infosys campus on the city’s outskirts after they were briefed about the various facilities the global software major built over the last two decades.
The delegation interacted with Infosys’ Senior Vice-President (Commercial and Corporate Relations) Binod Hampapur and Young Indians Head Abhishek Tiwari.
IT overview
“The Saudi youth were given an overview of the Indian IT industry and the software development work we do to enhance productivity and businesses of our global clients,” an Infosys spokesperson said.
“The Saudi youth viewed a presentation on our company and asked many questions on its growth, entrepreneurship, human resources and corporate social responsibility (CSR) related issues.”
Saudi Deputy Minister for Economic and Cultural Affairs Yousef Terad Al Saadon led the delegation comprising men and women members of the Saudi Youth Forum on a 10-day visit.
The objective of the visit was to “start a dialogue between young people from both countries and learn about each other’s culture, viewpoints and experiences.
Saudi Arabia is witnessing a ‘population bonus’ with a young generation of 3.4 million, accounting for over 20% of the its population, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The delegation also visited the Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for acquainting with the courses imparted and training methods employed in churning hundreds of engineers across disciplines for the knowledge industry.
“The interactive sessions with the students were rewarding as our youth could learn about the advances made in the engineering disciplines, especially computer sciences, electronics and communications,” Mesfer said.
