Govt backs Nasscom initiative to train 4 mn IT employees in emerging tech

The cloud-based learning and management platform will initially upgrade the skills of 4 million IT employees and prospective job-seekers in eight emerging technologies that could drive IT jobs in the future.

These technologies include artificial intelligence, virtual reality, robotic process automation, internet of things, big data analytics, 3D printing, cloud computing, social and mobile.

Besides, it has identified 55 segments that will generate employment and are going to be in high demand globally.

Addressing the Nasscom India Leadership Forum (NILF) and World Congress of Information Technology (WCIT) through a video link, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the initiative will help the country maintain its competitive edge in the IT space.

''I am sure the skills of the platform will greatly help India maintain its competitive edge. The key themes of this conference reflect the opportunities that await us. Disruptive technologies such as block-chain and the internet of things will have a deep impact on the way we live and work. They will require a rapid adaptation at our workplaces,'' Modi said while unveiling the Futureskills platform.

Over 2,000 delegates from 30 countries are attending the three-day conference. While NILF is happening outside Mumbai for the first time, the WCIT, in its 40-year history, is being held in India for the first time.

The union ministry of electronics and IT on Monday also announced the signing of an agreement with Nasscom under which it would support the training of one million professionals of the four million employees the industry body would reskill in the next three-four years.

The Centre's Digital India initiative is about bringing digital inclusion in empowerment, aided by the required infrastructure for digital services. ''Leveraging technology in such a holistic manner was unthinkable some years ago,'' the prime minister added.

IT minister Ravishankar Prasad, who attended the event, said contrary to popular apprehensions, every new tech would create a hundred opportunities against every 10 jobs it displaced. India should be in the forefront of skilling its young people, he added. Lauding Nasscom's initiative, Prasad said the government was considering taking state governments on board while skilling a million tech professionals.

Nasscom President R Chandrasekhar described his organisation's plans of reskilling 2 million existing technology professionals and an additional 2 million entrants in emerging technological areas through the platform. India would not only provide a skilled IT workforce but also an e-learning platform for people all over the world, he said.

The platform will arm people with skills, and issue certificates to those who undergo training. This on-line initiative would be backed by physical training, said Chandrasekhar.

On the proposed Data Security Act, Prasad said the committee headed by Justice Srikrishna was expected to submit its report on the proposed legislation.

Meanwhile, San Jose-headquartered software company Adobe Systems on Monday announced it was going to set up an advanced artificial intelligence lab in Hyderabad. CEO Shantanu Narayen, who is taking part in the ongoing World Congress of Information Technology (WCIT) in the city, informed the decision at a meeting with Telangana IT minister K T Rama Rao on the sidelines of the event.