The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and IBM India announced a collaboration to create an education and skilling ecosystem through the Common Services Centre (CSC) Academy – part of the Common Services Centre scheme. This academy and IBM along with implementation partners CSR Box, Uva Jagriti Sansthan and Jeevitam are expected to foster capabilities of those within the CSC ecosystem seeking to enhance their skills in new-age technologies like AI and cloud, especially village level entrepreneurs and other

Dr Dinesh Tyagi, Managing Director, CSC e-Governance Services India Limited said: “The National Education Policy’s focus on experiential learning and skills like critical thinking, problem solving etc are aimed at bridging the skills gap of India’s workforce. This will in turn play a pivotal role in building a skilled workforce for local industries thereby powering the success of GoI’s flagship programs like Make in India, Skill India, Digital India, Startup India etc. This collaboration with IBM aligns with the National Education Policy’s emphasis on learning 21st century skills to ensure the future-readiness of India’s youth and realizing the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”

IBM will curate and provide content from its key skilling programs – SkillsBuild and STEM for Girls – to be used for the training services and in community development programs that is currently being conducted across the 6000 CSC Academies. The IBM programs offer courses and project-based learning in various technologies including Cloud & AI.

The CSC Academy supports more than 3.7 lakh common service centres including 60,000 Women only centres and is planning to set up 6,000 CSC Academy centres (one in every block) out of which 5000 are already set up across the country. With a view to make the learning experiential, IBM will also focus on getting the learners involved in trainings, workshops, train-the-trainer programs and co-create training materials and conduct orientation camps. This program will also provide access to employment to 4000 village level youth in the identified rural areas.

Sandip Patel, managing director, IBM India and South Asia said: “Exponential technologies like AI and Hybrid Cloud can drive path-breaking innovations and fuel the nation’s digital India vision. To make this a reality there is a need to create the right avenues and platforms for learners to be equipped with industry-ready skills. Our collaboration with MeitY and CSC Academy will open up access to deep technological resources and expertise to learners with diverse backgrounds and educational needs and focus on skill upgradation through experiential learning – initiatives aimed at enhancing employability."