Infosys began constructing its US Education Centre at Indianapolis in mid-west Indiana state for its employees at a cost of $35 million (Rs 252 crore), said the global software major on Friday night.

“The upcoming training campus and residential centre will prepare the American workforce for the technology jobs of the future,” said the city-based IT firm in a statement here.

The 125,000-square feet innovation centre is located on a 70.5-acre land on the west side of the city on the old Indianapolis airport terminal. It will house its employees and that of its select clients.

The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by 2020.

“The centre will be a symbol of our commitment to train American workers as learning and reskilling are core components of our DNA,” said Infosys Chief Operating Officer U.B. Pravin Rao on the occasion.

The $11-billion outsourcing firm committed on May 2, 2017 to hire about 10,000 American techies to bridge the IT skills gap in the United States and set up six technology-cum-innovation hubs across North America by 2022-23.

The first hub was opened at Indianapolis in March where it plans to hire about 3,000 Americans by 2023. It has hired about 300 so far this year.

Global clients across the US account for about 60 per cent of the company’s software export revenue annually.

“The education centre represents expansion of our investment in the US and helps us contribute to a vibrant community for all Hoosiers (residents of Indiana state),” said Infosys President Ravi Kumar in the statement.

The hi-tech facility will also prepare the company’s American employees to master advanced skills required to succeed in digital future.

“As a state, we are proud to host the Infosys’ U.S. Education Centre and be a hub for technology skills training for workers across the country,” said Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb at the ground-breaking ceremony of the project.

“Today’s ground-breaking is not just a celebration of Infosys’ growing presence in our community but a celebration of the transformative potential of this state-of-the-art training campus for the west side of Indianapolis,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett.

The company’s other technology hubs in the US are at Raleigh in North Carolina, Hartford in Connecticut, Richardson in Texas and Phoenix in Arizona. It also has a design centre at Providence in partnership with the Rhode Island School of Design.