American tech giant Microsoft is set to upskill Indians on AI-based technology by 2025. Here are the details.

New Delhi: Good news has come for the Indian youths, as Microsoft is mulling to equip as many as 2 million youngsters with AI skills by 2025. As part of the company’s ‘Skills for Jobs’ programme, the initiative ‘ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA’ is designed to empower the country’s workforce with future-ready skills. The initiative is part of Microsoft’s broader commitment to accelerate India’s AI transformation. The skilling initiative is aligned with the company’s responsible AI principles, and training will be delivered in partnership with governments, nonprofit and corporate organisations, and communities.

Empowering Indians To Tap Into AI Potential

Microsoft has launched a significant skilling initiative in India, aiming to equip 2 million people with AI skills by 2025. The Avanta India initiative is part of Microsoft’s Skills for Jobs programme, which is designed to empower India’s workforce with future-ready skills. The initiative is part of Microsoft’s broader commitment to accelerate India’s AI transformation. The skilling initiative is aligned with the company’s responsible AI principles, and training will be delivered in partnership with governments, nonprofit and corporate organisations, and communities.

Addressing the Skills Gap

According to Microsoft’s recent Work Trend Index, 90 percent of Indian leaders say the people they hire will need new skills to prepare them for the growth of AI. Furthermore, 78 percent of Indian workers say they don’t have the right AI capabilities to complete their current work. To address this needs gap, Avanta (I)GE India will focus on training individuals in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, as well as rural areas, enabling people to participate in the new era of AI and unlock inclusive socio-economic progress.

Microsoft Government Partnership

The initiative will focus on three key areas: equipping India’s future workforce, upskilling government officials in AI, and working to build the AI capability of nonprofit organisations. Microsoft will partner with India’s Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and 10 state governments to provide basic and advanced training in AI to 500,000 students and job seekers in 100 rural vocational education institutions and training centres. In addition, Microsoft will provide in-depth AI technical skills training for 100,000 young women through 5,000 trainers at higher education institutions in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. The initiative also aims to raise awareness of responsible AI use and AI-enabled careers for students in schools in remote and tribal regions.

Microsoft will strengthen its partnership with India’s National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building, equipping 250,000 government officers with essential knowledge of generative AI and increasing their AI fluency. The company will also enable nonprofit organisations to accelerate their AI transformation and maximise social impact by providing access to AI skilling resources and technologies to further train 750,000 learners, including underserved youths, young women, and jobseekers, in AI fluency and technical skills.

Microsoft- Tata Partnership

Microsoft’s initiative has also garnered support from industry partners. For instance, Tata STRIVE, a partner in the skilling journey, expressed its commitment to training students and connecting them to job opportunities or internships, especially in the AI domain. The company aims to build a diverse and inclusive talent pool and strengthen the ecosystem through sustained skilling efforts to bridge the skills gap, providing organisations with industry-ready talent.

Microsoft’s Avanta India initiative is a comprehensive effort to democratise access to AI skills, empower India’s workforce, and accelerate the country’s AI transformation, with a focus on inclusivity and responsible AI use.