Decode this: HCL Technologies Ltd, India's fourth-largest software services exporter, is poaching young talent -and in the process looking to possibly pip competitors who offer college placements -by hiring students straight out of high school and training them to be IT professionals. HCL (market cap Rs 1.23 lakh crore) is offering talented Class XII grads with a background in science a starting salary of Rs. 1.8 lakh per annum, and train them to develop and test apps for the company. The technology giant recently started a pilot programme in Madurai, in which it will recruit 100 students who passed Class XII and directly absorb them in the firm after training for one year on its Coimbatore campus. The criterion is simple enough: students have to score an average of 85% in their board exams (80% for CBSE students). In a collaborative venture, it will also give students the option of pursuing a BSc degree from SSN Engineering College through a weekend college programme.