By Dipankar De Sarkar, London, February 27, 2008 (IANS)

The London School of Economics (LSE), one of the world's premier institutions of higher learning, held an India Careers Day - its first country-specific networking and employment forum. Over 2,500 Indian students have graduated from the LSE in the past 100 years and the school currently has more than 300 students from India. Designed to introduce India to LSE graduates and to open up a fresh skills pool for businesses operating in India, the Tuesday evening was opened by Tata Sons Director R. Gopalakrishnan.

Students mingled with senior business executives from Indian and international firms, including Deutsche Bank, InfoSys, Barclays Commercial, Ernst and Young, ING Bank and TechMahindra in what organisers said was an opportunity for students to find employment, companies to hire and India to plug a skills gap.

"This event is the first of its kind at the LSE and will provide an excellent opportunity for LSE students to network with Indian recruiters. The LSE brand is very strong in India and our graduates are sought after by Indian firms," said Fiona Sandford, director of the Careers Service at the school.

"Students of all nationalities are increasingly attracted to the exciting opportunities offered by India's booming economy. The relative skills shortage (in India) is great news for students graduating from the LSE."

The LSE's Indian alumni have included Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the founding father of the Indian constitution, the late President K.R. Narayanan and economists Amartya Sen, who won the Nobel Prize in 1998, and I.G. Patel, who was director of the LSE from 1984 to 90.

The event was organised jointly with the India Observatory, which was opened last year as an India research hub. "Indian companies will benefit greatly from diversity in the workplace. LSE is one of the most international schools in the world," said Ruth Kattumuri, associate director of the India Observatory.

"We believe companies interested in India will profit from our bright and diverse group of students. We hope that 'India campus recruitment day' will also help toward narrowing the skills gap in India," she added.