Strategic development status for HCL Technologies

The Government has decided to grant Indian giant HCL Technologies’ Sri Lankan venture Strategic Development Project (SDP) status.

A decision to this effect was made by the Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting on Tuesday following a recommendation by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Minister of Economic Policies and Plan Implementation. 

HCL is a global technology company. HCL Technologies Lanka Ltd., specialising in developing software for the export market and supply information technology related service, set up operations as a Board of Investment (BOI) approved venture last year.  

As per the agreement with BOI signed in January last year, HCL is to invest $ 10 million and generate 3,500 jobs inclusive of 2,450 for locals. 

The Government said HCL has requested to consider it as a project coming under the Strategic Development Act for which the BOI has given its consent.

Recently HCL Technologies Lanka celebrated its first year of operations having recruited over 1,000 Sri Lankans including recent graduates as well as seasoned industry professionals.

HCL entered Sri Lanka with an aim to make it a global delivery hub that works on technology programs for some of the biggest corporations in the world. The company now has a global delivery centre in Orion City, Colombo, and is expanding its footprint to Cinnamon Life, a state-of-the-art office space, in the city.

During its year of operation in the country, HCL has launched several programs to nurture and attract new talent. For young graduates who have completed three- or four-year studies in technical and non-technical streams, HCL Sri Lanka offers an opportunity to join the company as software engineers or IT analysts. 

Earlier this year, the company also launched its early career program HCL TechBee to give Advanced Level students a head-start to pursue their career path in the IT industry and pursue higher education from Horizon Campus, a leading university in Sri Lanka. 

In addition to programs for new graduates, HCL Sri Lanka continuously hires experienced professionals for roles in digital, applications and infrastructure management and actively engages with talent through a host of online webinars and programs to drive its recruitment efforts.

The company expressed optimism about Sri Lanka’s growth prospects and said it looks forward to bringing in more global opportunities to the local community. 

“Sri Lanka has an extremely talented and world-class pool of IT professionals, and we are certain our family here will continue to play an increasing role in serving our Global 2000 clients and partners situated all over the globe,” HCL said.