Britain is keen to attract high quality skilled information technology professionals from countries like India, minister for small business and e-commerce, Patricia Hewitt, has said. "We have taken initiatives to strengthen the UK education and training systems, while at the same time attracting high quality skilled professionals from other countries like India," to meet skills shortage, she said while delivering the keynote address at a one-day seminar on information technology in Birmingham on Thursday. Senior representatives from British and Indian companies actively participated in the seminar jointly organised by the Indian High Commission and the Confederation of Indian Industry. She noted that the continuing consolidation of India-UK trade and economic linkages and said estimates for 2000 showed that trade turnover would be running at nearly 4 billion pounds. She said that this is well on course to meet the target set by the secretary of state for trade and industry Stephen Byers of an increase in trade by 20 per cent over the next two years. In the IT sector, Hewitt said that Indian and British companies should benefit from the exciting developments that are taking place in both countries. She also said that she would be visiting India in November and see for herself the ‘new, exciting developments in the IT sector’. She would look at ways to standardise business partnerships between British and Indian IT companies.
Bureau Report