– Matt Mente, News Editor

IT giant Wipro has settled on Brantford for its latest expansion, declaring its new home in the centre of campus, and providing students with a new opportunity for jobs come graduation time.

Founded in India in 1945, the tech company has an international presence in 54 countries.

This expansion into Brantford will be its second in Canada. The company is taking over the lease on a property in the Market Square Mall.

Previously, the lease had been owned by Bell who were planning on using the space for a call centre. Wipro will be taking over the lease and expanding upon it, adding an additional 200 jobs to the 350 mandated by Bell.

With the contract in Wipro’s control, the old call centre will now serve exclusively as an IT support hub servicing financial institutions, energy providers and more.

Though the city of Brantford had little to do with the deal, Mayor Chris Friel has stated that they are excited about the opportunity.

Mark Gladysz, Brantford’s Senior Planner, Projects, has stated that part of the reason Wipro has chosen to expand to Brantford is because of the post-secondary presence in the city.

Gladysz stated that, “[Wipro is] particularly excited to have a well educated pool of employees.”

This indicates that Laurier students may receive priority when it comes to hiring.

Wipro has already hosted two information fairs and hiring sessions in Brantford to begin filling the 500 spots they will have available beginning in April According to Wipro executives they plan to start operations in April and have the centre fully up and running by the beginning of May.