Mumbai: Microsoft Corporation India and HCL Infosystems have joined hands together to work a whole array of strategic initiatives to meet the increasing demands of the Indian IT industry.

The goal of such a training initiative is to give a boost to the employability of Indian IT students and help the Indian IT industry retain its competitive edge.

Under the initiative, HCL will train 50,000 students in Microsoft technology. The training would take place in 100 training centers located across the country over a period of three years.

These training centers would impart skills train students on the Microsoft official curriculum, under structured learning methodology, designed and developed by Microsoft Corporation. The high-end training will primarily focus on technical, professional and architectural skills in infrastructure, system design and unified communications and other latest technologies.

Acknowledging the emerging potential of India as a hot IT destination, Kevin Turner, chief operating officer, Microsoft Corporation, said, "India is the fastest growing market for Microsoft. We intend to be aggressive in this market and want people to understand our technology."