Kolkata, Sep 21 (IANS) IBM, the world's largest computer services company, said Thursday that it plans to hire 3,000 people for its new unit here, the fourth in the West Bengal capital.

Located at the DLF IT Park at Rajarhat, the facility would deliver high value solutions to help IBM clients innovate globally, IBM India Managing Director Shanker Annaswamy said.

Inaugurating the facility, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjya said the new facility would help IBM significantly ramp up presence in the city.

"IBM already employs 4,000 people in its other facilities in the city. The new facility with additional employment of 3,000 professionals would make IBM significantly increase its presence in the state," he said.

The chief minister urged IBM to start a training centre in the state so professionals could be trained in accordance with industry requirements.

"Altogether 250 IT companies are operating in the city employing 45,000 professionals and it will grow. We need more trained professionals," he said.

Amitabh Ray, IBM's vice-president Consulting and Application Services, said the company was helping Burdwan University design its curriculum in line with IT industry requirements.

IBM's long-standing relationship with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur led to the setting up of a deep computing visualisation lab and research grant of $75,000, Ray said.

Additionally, IBM would for the first time in India roll out an IBM appropriate continued education programme that would enable Bachelor of Science students in the state to train with the company to receive a Master of Science (Technology) degree from the Mysore University over a period of four years.