Wipro halts its programme to up freshers' pay

BENGALURU: In yet another indication that business is slowing down, Wipro has halted the Velocity skilling programme that allows an 'Elite' fresher candidate to upgrade to the 'Turbo' category, and earn a higher salary. This programme has been a part of Wipro's hiring process in recent times.
While candidates recruited under the Elite programme for freshers are offered Rs 3.5 lakh per annum, those upgraded to Turbo get Rs 6.5 lakh per annum.The training programme is of 4 to 6 months duration, and includes internal assessments. Top performing candidates are given the Turbo tag.

The move to halt the programme comes just a few months after Wipro told freshers that onboarding will be done in a phased manner. In an email to new hires, the company has offered Velocity candidates the role of a project engineer at Rs 3.5 lakh annual salary. Those who opt for this role will be onboarded in March 2023.

The company went on to tell these candidates, "If you choose to accept this offer, all previous offers will stand void. We encourage you to grab this opportunity as it is time-bound." Hundreds of fresh graduates have been waiting for several months to be onboarded by IT companies. With the recessionary environment in Europe and a general change in client spending patterns, IT companies are being cautious about onboarding freshers.