INDIA: The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is proud to announce the launch of a series of groundbreaking initiatives aimed at revolutionizing India’s vocational training landscape and empowering its workforce to lead in the digital economy. This announcement was made during a keynote address delivered by Shri Jayant Chaudhary, the Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), MSDE, Minister of State, Ministry of Education, Government of India at the National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) – Women in Noida during his visit to the institute.

Microsoft’s AI Programming Assistant Program across all ITIs and NSTIs

The centerpiece of today’s announcement is the expansion of Microsoft’s SkillSaksham Program for Digital Productivity and AI Skilling across 200 ITIs from this academic session targeting more than 10,000 candidates and its support for the introduction of the ‘AI Programming Assistant’ course in about 15 NSTIs from the academic session 2024-25. We have already trained more than 8500 students under the SkillSaksham Program in the last session of the CTS program in our ITIs.

To ensure that this training reaches every corner of our country, Microsoft will support the rollout of the ‘AI Programming Assistant’ course under the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) across 15 National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) beginning with the 2024 academic session. Hence the students of the 15 NSTIs across the country, will have access to 1200 hours of AI-focused training, and, in addition to this, about 400 additional hours will be dedicated to Advanced AI skills and a virtual On-the-Job Training (OJT), facilitated by Microsoft. This nationwide deployment will help democratize access to future skills, ensuring that young minds in every region have the opportunity to lead in the AI-driven future.

“We are on the cusp of a generational change. Our partnership with Microsoft is more than just a collaboration—it’s a bold statement that India’s vocational education system is not merely catching up with the times but is setting the pace,” said Shri Jayant Chaudhary, the Hon’ble Minister.

“We need to create a pool of trainers and teachers who understand new technologies and AIs. Individuals from such training will play a vital role in preparing future talent for the new job environment. Emerging technologies and the introduction of AIs will help reimagine ITIs. Preparing our students to harness the transformative power of AI, will play a crucial part as India’s expected GDP growth touches $500 billion by 2025.”

Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE highlighted the need for partnerships in India’s quest to become the hub of skilled talent for a global workforce. He said, “This signing of our MoU with Microsoft is a part of building synergies at multiple levels such as with MeitY and this is yet another push to enhance the capability of our young talent. During Mr Nadella’s visit to India, we broached the subject of how Microsoft can add value to our ITIs. Today, we have made it possible.

He further stated, “This AI Training program, will help women from non-technical backgrounds to be part of this digital future and with an edge from a Microsoft certified course, be able to find prominent job placement. Moving forward, we would like to scale this further with our various partners like Microsoft shortly.”

Puneet Chandok, President, of Microsoft India, and South Asia said “As we celebrate the successful five-year-long partnership between Microsoft and the Directorate General of Training (DGT), we remain committed to empowering India’s youth with critical digital skills. Our mission is AI for everyone, we want to enable every person and every organization in the country to achieve more. With thousands of young minds already benefitting from our AI-focused skilling programs, along with cybersecurity and digital productivity, we are now focused on expanding this impact for vocational education in India. By joining forces with industry partners, we will enhance our training programs and extend the reach to over 200 ITIs and 15 NSTIs, copiloting India in its innovation journey from ‘incredible opportunity’ to ‘credible impact’.”    

Strategic Partnerships to Empower MSMEs and Entrepreneurs

In addition to the AI program, the MSDE is also forging key partnerships to bolster the competitiveness of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and to support entrepreneurial skill development:

NIESBUD-MSSIDC Partnership: Focused on capacity-building training tailored for women-owned MSME units in Maharashtra under the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) Programme. This initiative aims to enhance the competitiveness of MSMEs in the state and empower women entrepreneurs.

NIESBUD-Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Collaboration: A formal institutional mechanism will be established to enable NIESBUD trainees to leverage the vast opportunities offered by GeM’s digital platform, increasing market access and visibility.

MoU with Jamia Hamdard University: This partnership will harness the strengths of both institutions to promote entrepreneurial education and skills, ultimately enhancing self-employment opportunities.

Collaboration with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC): NIESBUD and ONDC will explore mutual collaboration opportunities to further entrepreneurial skill development and support self-employment initiatives.

“These partnerships are pathways to building a more ‘Kushal, Viksit, and Atmanirbhar Bharat’ of our dreams. What has been a silent revolution till now is about to gain scale and speed,” the Hon’ble Minister added.

Looking Ahead

As India navigates the digital future, MSDE’s initiatives are laying the foundation for a workforce that is not just ready for the future but is equipped to lead it. Through strategic partnerships and the integration of emerging technologies like AI into vocational training, India is set to become a global leader in digital innovation and economic growth.

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With the use of Microsoft Copilot for Security generative AI-powered security solution, enterprises can leverage Microsoft’s large-scale data and threat intelligence security graph with PwC’s secure system rebuilding and broader incident management capabilities. In addition, faster eviction of threat actors can be achieved with Microsoft Incident Response swiftly identifying and evicting bad actors, while PwC India focuses on rebuilding mission-critical systems securely.

Commenting on the collaboration, Terence Gomes, Partner, PwC India said, “We are moving toward a future where AI and machine learning will become integral in optimizing security operations. Not only can we significantly reduce the incident response time but can also rapidly process large volumes of data to provide key insights to strengthen the enterprise’s overall security posture. With this collaboration, we will empower our clients to predict, prevent, and respond to security threats with confidence.”

Anand Jethalia, Country Head, Security, Microsoft India, said, “With the increasing speed, scale, and sophistication of cyberattacks, organizations face an increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape. Our collaboration with PwC will enable customers to stay resilient by leveraging Microsoft’s tech and AI innovations and empowers enterprises to tackle threats at the speed and scale of AI.” 

Cyber threats are constantly evolving, increasing in volume, intensity, and complexity. PwC India assists clients in managing the entire incident lifecycle, including exporting, crisis management, and recovery strategy. PwC India’s collaboration with Microsoft India provides clients access to threat intelligence to solve complex problems arising from breaches. Clients will also be able to leverage PwC’s global presence enabling teams to mobilise quickly, whether remotely or on-site.

Vivek Belgavi, Partner and Leader – Alliances and Ecosystems, PwC India said, “As per PwC India’s CEO Survey, cyber risk was identified as one of the top three key threats in the next 12 months by Indian CEOs. We believe that AI-based tools like Copilot can help reduce a disadvantage for cyber teams overwhelmed by the sheer number and complexity of human-led cyber attacks, both of which are on the rise. With this collaboration, PwC India can help our clients improve security posture management, incident response, and security reporting.”

PwC India can support in-house threat intelligence capabilities by building new data feeds, collecting, analyzing, and distributing timely details on potential attacks, and providing global visibility on the threat landscape. With Microsoft Copilot for Security, PwC India can help clients better understand their risk profile, make informed decisions, and mitigate new threats.

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Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director, Microsoft IDC, and CVP, of Experiences + Devices India said, “It was rewarding to watch Bill address some of India’s brightest engineering minds at IDC, our biggest asset. Echoing his optimism over the opportunity for an AI-powered India, IDC is excited to drive innovation from India for Microsoft – from AI and cloud to security and gaming.” 

During his recent visit to India, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella highlighted the country’s unique potential to realize the promise of AI. This sentiment is particularly relevant today, with IDC delivering pioneering research and development across various domains, including AI applications. 

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NEW DELHI: Microsoft today announced the launch of an initiative that aims to skill 100,000 developers in India in the latest AI technologies and tools. The program offers a comprehensive learning experience that helps developers acquire and demonstrate the relevant skills needed to execute critical projects using AI technologies that align with business goals and outcomes. With AI revolutionizing the way we work and live, India needs a skilled workforce that can use AI to solve complex problems and create value. Through programs like AI Odyssey, Microsoft is offering opportunities for developers to build solutions for India’s growth and showcase their talent to solve real-world problems. To participate in the AI Odyssey, developers need to register on aka.ms/AIOdyssey and access the learning modules and resources. The month-long program is open to all AI enthusiasts in India, regardless of experience level or background. The program has two levels that participants need to complete by January 31, 2024. The first level of the program educates participants on how to use Azure AI services to create and deploy AI solutions for different scenarios. This will give them access to useful resources, code samples, and guides to master practical AI skills.

The second level of the program challenges participants to prove their AI skills by completing an online assessment with interactive lab tasks that earn them Microsoft Applied Skills credentials, a new verifiable credential that validates their ability to solve real-world problems with AI. Participants completing both levels of challenges will also stand a chance to win a VIP Pass to attend the Microsoft AI Tour in Bangalore on February 8, 2024, and witness the revolutionary impact of generative AI. The AI Tour is a one-of-a-kind event that showcases how generative AI can enable new forms of creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving. The tour features keynote sessions, demos, and workshops, where developers can learn from Microsoft experts and partners, as well as network with peers.

Irina Ghose, Managing Director, of Microsoft India, said, “AI is the future of innovation and India is leading the way with its tech talent. The Microsoft Applied Skills credential will help developers demonstrate their competence and creativity in the most in-demand AI skills and scenarios. We welcome all developers to join us in creating meaningful AI solutions that will contribute to India’s economy.“

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Airtel IQ for Microsoft Teams is a plug-and-play solution that can be set up within a day with minimum provisioning and management. It will allow management to save on infrastructure purchases as there is no additional hardware involved and will offer enterprise-grade reliability and support. Teams Phone integrated calling on Airtel IQ will help remove key roadblocks in every enterprise’s journey from managing multiple platforms for IP telephony and collaborations, to lack of control and security, lack of flexibility in supporting remote and hybrid working, and a paucity of higher capex investments needed to ensure uniform and seamless collaborations.

Abhishek Biswal, Business Head, Airtel IQ, said, “We are delighted to partner with Microsoft to bring an agile, flexible, and innovative solution to ease one of the biggest issues facing Indian enterprises today. Airtel’s traditional strength of connectivity combined with Microsoft’s technology will result in reliability, cost savings, ease of management, and, most importantly, scalability for all customers, ensuring that going forward they can focus solely on productivity.”

Shruti Bhatia, Country Head, Modern Work & Surface, India & South Asia, Microsoft, said, “In today’s constantly evolving hybrid world, users need the flexibility to work and connect. At Microsoft, it has been our endeavor to power the modern workplace by providing enterprises with the right tools and technologies that cater to their needs and make hybrid work seamless for everyone. Taking a step further in that direction, we are thrilled to partner with Airtel and introduce an innovative solution that will enable India’s workforce to unlock a new level of productivity, collaboration, and efficiency, transforming the future of work in the country.“

Airtel is a global communications solutions provider with over 500 million customers in 17 countries across South Asia and Africa. The company ranks among the top three mobile operators globally, and its networks cover over two billion people. Airtel is India’s largest integrated communications solutions provider and the second-largest mobile operator in Africa. Airtel’s retail portfolio includes high-speed 4G/5G mobile broadband and Airtel Xstream Fiber that promises speeds up to 1 Gbps with convergence across linear and on-demand entertainment, streaming services spanning music and video, digital payments, and financial services. For enterprise customers, Airtel offers a gamut of solutions that include secure connectivity, cloud and data center services, cybersecurity, IoT, Ad Tech, and cloud-based communication.

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