The changing face of Indian tech

The changing face of Indian tech

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New employees with the Indian company Tech Mahindra listen during a training session.

Things are changing for new recruits like them in India's IT outsourcing industry, as businesses that used to hire hordes of entry-level computer coders are now trimming down their numbers and trying to get greater profits out of more experienced staff.

. NOIDA, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

A man works at his desk at Tech Mahindra, currently the No.5 player in the industry.

As the company develops, it is naming 100 of what it calls "mini-CEOs" - more senior employees who will be given greater freedom to run their parts of the business.

"We want more solution architects to be here. We don't want the coding coolies anymore," said the company's head of human resources, employing a term commonly used in India for menial labourers.

Others in the IT industry are following a similar path by employing a greater proportion of experienced staff and fewer new starters directly from campuses.

For young graduates who see the $108 billion IT industry as a sure pathway to modern India's growing middle class, the transformation is a tough one.

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A receptionist sits at the front desk inside the Tech Mahindra office building in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi.
. NOIDA, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

A receptionist sits at the front desk inside the Tech Mahindra office building in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi.

A trainer gives a lecture to new recruits, who are joining the company at a time of change in the Indian IT industry.
. NOIDA, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

A trainer gives a lecture to new recruits, who are joining the company at a time of change in the Indian IT industry.

Tech Mahindra wants to develop the skills of its staff by naming "mini-CEOs".
. NOIDA, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Tech Mahindra wants to develop the skills of its staff by naming "mini-CEOs".

The company is looking for employees who can be deeper thinkers.
. NOIDA, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

The company is looking for employees who can be deeper thinkers.

Staff fill a busy cafeteria at Tech Mahindra - part of an industry that has been seen as a route into India's middle class.
. NOIDA, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Staff fill a busy cafeteria at Tech Mahindra - part of an industry that has been seen as a route into India's middle class.

"Don't wait for your ship to come in. Row out to meet it," reads a poster on an employee's desk.
. NOIDA, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

"Don't wait for your ship to come in. Row out to meet it," reads a poster on an employee's desk.

Staff work out at the office gym.
. NOIDA, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Staff work out at the office gym.

Others chat during their lunch break.
. NOIDA, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Others chat during their lunch break.

Employees walk by Tech Mahindra's offices.
. NOIDA, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Employees walk by Tech Mahindra's offices.