MUMBAI, NOV 5: Britain is shopping for software skills and investment from India. With Europe emerging as the second biggest market for software exports from India, UK is now positioning itself to act as a gateway to this lucrative market.Speaking at `Think Britain' software seminar at Mumbai on Thursday British deputy high commissioner Michael Bates said UK had long been regarded as the European Union's most attractive country for investors. "With its fast growing software industry, it the ideal information technology base from which to operate throughout Europe," he added. The seminar was earlier held at Bangalore, where a large number of Indian software companies are located.Quoting from a 1999 study by Ernst & Young, regional director of Invest in Britain Bureau (IBB) John Rutherford said UK was the preferred destination even for the US software investment attracting over 40 per cent of the projects. Calling London, Europe's business capital, he said it was home to over 20 per cent of top 500European multinational headquarters.Jolyon Potter, representing Britain's Computing Services and Software Association said computing services and software demand was expected to touch Å“28 billion by 2002. A number of Indian companies like HCL Infosystems, Wipro, Sonata, and Satyam had set up offshore facilities in Britain. "There is a shortage of skilled personnel in UK and the industry (CSSA) recognises it," he said in response to whether there were any protests from locals. Britain does not have any restriction on visas as in the United States.As per International Data Corporation estimates shortage of skilled IT professionals in Europe would grow from 5% in 1998 to almost 20% in 2002. The market research firm also warned that unless a suitable strategy was in place individual countries and theEU as a whole would also suffer. Others who spoke were Pawan Prasad, country manager of Polaris Softwareand S Sridhar of Exim Bank.
