TCS joins US2020 as a founding leadership partner

India's largest software services firm Tata Consultancy Services yesterday said it had joined US2020 as a founding leadership partner.

US2020 is a national STEM Education initiative that aims to engage 1 million science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professionals in mentorship opportunities by the year 2020.

The company is joining as a Founding Leadership Partner of US2020, providing over $500,000 in cash and in-kind support, according to a company statement.

It added that it was also looking to securing 20 per cent of the company's STEM workforce mentoring students by 2020.

Through the online matching platform that the company would develop, US2020 would help place STEM volunteers into high impact mentoring opportunities with top non-profit organisations working across different grades, settings, and delivery models.

Under the strategy, up to five cities would be selected and supported for the mobilisation of STEM volunteers through partnerships with leading science and technology businesses.

The cities would be offered $ 1 million or more by way of cash and in-kind support to motivate businesses, non-profit organisations, city governments, and local philanthropies around a coordinated effort to spark the minds of students across their communities.

According to Surya Kant, TCS president (North America, UK and Europe), to succeed on tomorrow's world stage, students would need to have a solid foundation in STEM and be fluent in the technologies that would power the global economy of the 21 st century.

TCS would be the lead partner in the development of US2020's web-based matching technology to connect STEM mentors with high-quality volunteer placements.

The company's shares were down Rs3.95, or 0.27 per cent, to settle at Rs1,448.40. The total volume of shares traded stood at 70,657 at the BSE yesterday.