TCS, Infosys are helping the US to become a tech advanced nation. Here’s how

Indian IT companies such as Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys are supporting US President Barack Obama’s ‘Computer Science for All’ initiative.

The $4 billion plan, which is also backed by Google and Salesforce, aims to increase the number of children with access to computer science training in the US.

Both the Indian software companies have invested through a public private partnership model -National Science Foundation (NSF)- and will reportedly pump in $120 million.

As a part of the initiative, the companies will support and train computer science teachers in schools.

A White House statement read, “Infosys Foundation USA will be a founding member of this public-private collaboration with a $1million philanthropic donation, and, as an initial participant, Tata Consultancy Services is providing additional support in the form of grants to teachers in 27 US cities. This collaboration will ultimately provide opportunities for as many as 2,000 middle- and high-school teachers to deepen their understanding of CS.”

According to a September report by NASSCOM, Indian IT companies have invested more than $2 billion in 2011-2013 in the US, paid $22.5 billion in taxes and supported more than 411,000 direct and indirect jobs in that country.

The IT industry body said India has invested in science, technology, engineering and math education in the US.

Wipro made an $8 million investment to support STEM education fellowships for teachers, while TCS has put in $35 million for a new technology building at Carnegie Mellon University.