Kozhikode, Aug 28 (IANS) Twenty IT companies, including industry leaders like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Satyam Computers and Wipro Technologies, are expected to take part in a human resource (HR) summit to be held in Kozhikode, Kerala, Saturday.

The HR summit titled 'Empowering IT @ Malabar' is being organised by Calicut IT Initiative (CITI), a citizens' initiative here, Nasscom (National Association of Software and Services Companies) and the Kerala State IT Mission, a state-sponsored agency for promoting IT in the state.

'The event is being organised to showcase the high density of IT talent available in Malabar (north Kerala) region. We have a large number of IT professionals here, especially girls, who are not ready to venture outside the state for work. This pool of talent will provide a good number of professionals to IT companies,' CITI president Nithyanand Kamath told reporters Thursday.

He said IT companies were looking at tier I and tier II cities to set up their units. 'And we have to market our potential to attract them,' he added.

The summit, which includes panel discussion and other events, is expected to provide opportunity for company officials to assess the IT talents available here.

'This is the first initiative of this kind by Nasscom in the state. The event is also supported by the state government,' said Saji Gopinath, a faculty at the Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode, which is also associated with the programme.

Gopinath said the summit was expected to address the 'problem of visibility' for Kozhikode as an IT destination.