HYDERABAD:The inexorable rise of new technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Automation have been taking a toll on jobs in India’s flagship IT services industry. Now, an online platform built by Nasscom called FutureSkills will attempt to address the issue of inadequately skilled manpower. Their plan is to reskill or upskill half of India’s 4 million strong IT workforce within a time period of three to four years while also imparting skills to 2 million aspirants.
“The platform, developed by Nasscom and supported by the government, is aimed at initially skilling 2 million existing employees and 2 million aspirants in new technologies,” said Nasscom president R Chandrasekhar, adding that this was probably the “most important initiative that the Nasscom has ever undertaken.”
FutureSkills was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the World Congress on IT in the city on Monday. The platform will cover eight new-age technologies, 55 job roles and over 150 specific skills. “Disruptive technologies such as Block-chain and the Internet of Things will have a profound impact on the way we live and work,” Modi said after launching the platform.
Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Robotics Process Automation, Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics, 3D printing/Additive manufacturing, Cloud Computing and Social Media are the eight new-age technologies that will be covered. “The platform will provide course material from reputed institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Indian Institutes of Technology,” said Nasscom executive member Mohit Thukral.
FutureSkills will become a resource for global skilling initiatives, said Chandrasekhar while adding that there is no reason why India should not become a leader in skilling the IT workforce. An MoU was signed between Nasscom and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in the presence of IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.