IBM, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship have reportedly announced to collaborate in the scaling digital skills training in India. They have signed several Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its various departments to offer curated courses to strengthen the youth in our country with future-ready skills.   

This partnership will be focusing on the co-creation of curriculum and enabling access to IBM SkillsBuild, IBM’s learning platform, for skilling the learners across school education, higher education and vocational skills on advanced technologies such as AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing and professional development skills.   

Let’s look into the core levels of education that this innovative collaboration will impact.  

• School Education: The IBM SkillsBuild put forth by IBM will enable access to its abundant digital content that helps the school students, teachers and trainers predominantly on the cutting-edge skills in schools that are identified by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) as well as NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling). The program is decided to be conducted online through webinars and in-person workshops. Besides this, IBM will also refresh the AI curriculum of CBSE for the 11 and 12 grades and develop a cyber skilling and blockchain curriculum for high school students to be hosted on the IBM SkillsBuild.   
• Higher education: By working along with the Department of Higher Education, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT), National Institute of Technical Teachers’ Training & Research (NITTTR), Chandigarh and state skilling missions to onboard affiliated students and faculty to IBM SkillsBuild and offer them access to digital content, experiential learning, and fresh skills which helps them to pursue technical careers.  
• Vocational Skills: IBM has planned to continue its central collaboration with MSDE and work more closely with the Directorate General of Training (DGT) and respective state vocational education and skilling departments to prepare job seekers, including the long-term unemployed and school dropouts for IBM SkillsBuild and enable them to gain the technical and professional skills required to re-enter the workforce.  

While addressing the event, the Union Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, said, “India, with its vast and youthful population, stands at the cusp of tremendous potential. To harness this demographic dividend, it is crucial to equip the youth with the necessary skills to excel in today’s modern workforce. This collaboration marks a significant stride toward our vision of a ‘Skilled India’ and scaling up digital skills training and skill building in emerging technologies using the IBM SkillsBuild platform.”   

Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India/South Asia, mentioned that “IBM’s collaboration with MoE and MSDE ushers in a new era of opportunities in our rapidly evolving digital landscape. We aim to empower India’s youth with the skills and knowledge to thrive in the digital age, encompassing cutting-edge technologies like AI and cloud computing. Simultaneously, we’re dedicated to fostering a well-rounded approach to skill development, ultimately creating a more versatile and adaptable workforce. We are confident that this collaboration will contribute significantly to India’s status as a digital talent hub.”