• The initiative aims to skill 1 million students in AI by 2021
• The AI Classroom Series will deliver Microsoft’s AI, machine learning and data science expertise to undergraduate students at no cost
New Delhi, September 10, 2020: As part of its ongoing efforts to promote skilling as a national priority, NASSCOM FutureSkills and Microsoft have joined hands to launch a nation-wide AI skilling initiative. The initiative aims to skill 1 million students in AI by 2021.
The collaboration will provide Microsoft’s AI, machine learning and data science expertise to students through easy to consume modules including live demos, hands on workshops and assignments. These introductory sessions on AI will be available for undergraduate students at no cost and will cover the basics of data science, machine learning models on Azure, and understanding of cognitive services to build intelligent solutions.
The partnership with NASSCOM FutureSkills is an extension of Microsoft’s global skilling initiative to help 25 million people worldwide acquire new digital skills, needed to thrive in a digital economy.
Speaking about the partnership, Dr. Rohini Srivathsa, National Technology Officer, Microsoft India, said, “As economies start to recover from the pandemic, expanded access to digital skills will be one of the key drivers of an inclusive economic growth. Technologies like AI are becoming enablers for every business today, making the need for creating an AI ready ecosystem vital for India’s economic and social value creation. Microsoft is deeply invested in creating a digital skills ecosystem to equip India’s youth with AI-ready skills for evolving job-roles and our partnership with NASSCOM FutureSkills is a strong step in that direction.“
Speaking on the launch, Amit Aggarwal, VP & CEO, IT-ITeS Sector Skills Council, NASSCOM said, “With disruptions and shifting customer preferences changing technology and skill sets in demand there is a rise in new job roles and occupations; skill sets are rapidly emerging as must haves for current and prospective tech employees. The joint initiative with Microsoft aims to not only build future AI skilled talent but also nurture job creation through constant reskilling and upskilling for the years to come. We should look at this as a golden opportunity for students to imbibe AI and enhance their current skills sets to be future-ready.”
Commencing from September 21, 2020, the AI Classroom Series will be paced in three modules. The online classes will include live demos, hands-on workshops and assignments through self-learning, virtual instructor-led training, and mentoring. The teaching sessions will be conducted by various experts, including experts from Microsoft and NASSCOM. Students will have the option to choose from multiple time slots and plan their own learning pace. Registered students will also have access to content and developer tools from Microsoft and GitHub. A participation certificate from NASSCOM and Microsoft will be awarded to students at the end of the series.
The partnership will also steer collaboration with various academic institutes and colleges to integrate new cloud and AI technologies into the curriculum, with a vision to make India the global hub for skilled talent in AI.
About NASSCOM
The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM®) is the premier trade body and chamber of commerce of the Tech industry in India and comprises over 2800-member companies including both Indian and multinational organisations that have a presence in India. Our membership spans across the entire spectrum of the industry from start-ups to multinationals and from products to services, Global Service Centers to Engineering firms. Guided by India’s vision to become a leading digital economy globally, NASSCOM focuses on accelerating the pace of transformation of the industry to emerge as the preferred enablers for global digital transformation. Our strategic imperatives are to reskill and upskill India’s IT workforce to ensure that talent is future-ready in terms of new-age skills, strengthen the innovation quotient across industry verticals, create new market opportunities – both international and domestic, drive policy advocacy to advance innovation and ease of doing business, and build the Industry narrative with focus on Talent, Trust and Innovation. And, in everything we do, we will continue to champion the need for diversity and equal opportunity.
NASSCOM has played a key role in not just the growth of the Industry to become a $180+Billion industry today, but we have helped establish the Tech industry in India as one of the most trusted partners, globally. NASSCOM continues to make significant efforts in contributing towards India’s GDP, exports, employment, infrastructure development and global visibility. Our membership base constitutes over 95% of the industry revenues in India and employs over 4 million professionals, and as technology blends into every aspect of the economy, we expect the industry to become key driver of growth, development and inclusion for the country. Our mission is to make India a global hub for Innovation and Talent so when the world thinks Digital, the world will think India.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Microsoft set up its India operations in 1990. Today, Microsoft entities in India have over 11,000 employees, engaged in sales and marketing, research, development and customer services and support, across 11 Indian cities – Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Microsoft offers its global cloud services from local data centers to accelerate digital transformation across Indian startups, businesses, and government organizations.
