Cognizant announces plan to recruit 1,500 U.S. graduates for AI workforce by 2026

Technology services firm Cognizant will hire 1,500 U.S. college graduates by the end of 2026 to strengthen its AI‑ready workforce. The recruits will be placed across Cognizant’s core technology services, its engineering subsidiary Belcan, and the newly created Frontier Engineers programme, which will focus on enterprise AI projects.

The hiring drive is part of a broader talent strategy that includes the Fusion Internship, Ignite and Elevate early‑career pipelines, and registered apprenticeships run with the U.S. Department of Labor. Cognizant partners with more than 40 universities, including the University of Georgia, Arizona State University and the University of Kentucky, to source talent and offers pathways for both technical and non‑technical graduates, emphasizing first‑generation and underrepresented candidates. Since 2025 the company has hired about 27,000 campus graduates globally.

CEO Ravi Kumar S said the initiative reflects confidence in American talent and aims to ensure that the next generation of technologists will shape how AI is built, deployed and governed.