With the COVID-Pandemic taking toil out from us including the forms of learning, technology-based firms are optimizing technology, research, and development for augmenting the new way of living and learning, scribing new initiatives. Firms like Microsoft, in collaboration with The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) now going to launch a nation-wide AI (artificial intelligence) skilling initiative.

Microsoft and NASSCOM’s partnership is the chain of Microsoft’s Global Skilling process. It is aimed to help 25 million people in acquiring digital skills as it is an intrinsic part of every workplace. The skilling module extends to 2021 as the collaboration of Microsoft and NASSCOM plan to introduce AI for 1+ million students.

With Microsoft and NASSCOM’s collaboration plans, students will get access to AI lessons via easily accessible learning modes. Students will have access to Microsoft’s AI, machine learning, and data science modules through live demos and assignments. 

One major advantage of this program is that graduate students (without any fee) will have the opportunity to introductory sessions of AI. The introductory sessions, for graduate students, will cover – basics of data science, and machine learning models on azure. Students will get introduced to cognitive service during the learning sessions. Upon completion of cognitive service learning, students’ intelligent solution production capacity will increase.

Microsoft entered India in 1990, and from the early days, it experienced a steady growth in operations. In the 30 years course, Microsoft created a lasting empire, where in India, it has 11,000+ employees in 11 cities. The cities include - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Chennai, Noida, Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Pune, Mumbai, Kochi, and Kolkata.

Alike Microsoft, NASSCOM has created a premium business division in the Indian tech industry. NASSCOM has 2800+ participating companies (Indian+MNCs) in India. NASSCOM has augmented the evolution of tech industry in the country and is one of the frontline partners surging India’s GDP and developments.

The National Technology Officer, Microsoft India, Dr. Rohini Srivathsa, said, “As economies start to recover from the pandemic, expanded access to digital skills will be one of the key drivers of inclusive economic growth. Technologies like AI are becoming enablers for every business today, making the need for creating an AI-ready ecosystem vital for India’s economic and social value creation. Microsoft is deeply invested in creating a digital skills ecosystem to equip India’s youth with AI-ready skills for evolving job-roles and our partnership with NASSCOM FutureSkills is a strong step in that direction.”

Knuckle on the Microsoft-NASSCOM partnership predicts Indian technology evolution. Starting from 21 September 2020, the AI Classroom will have three modules in the beginning. Microsoft and NASSCOM’s experts will conduct the classes, where students have freedom to select slots favorable to them.

The VP & CEO, IT-ITeS Sector Skills Council, NASSCOM, Amit Aggarwal, said, “With disruptions and shifting customer preferences changing technology and skillsets in demand, there is a rise in new job roles and occupations; skillsets are rapidly emerging as must-haves for current and prospective tech employees. The joint initiative with Microsoft aims to not only build future AI skilled talent but also nurture job creation through constant reskilling and upskilling for the years to come. We should look at this as a golden opportunity for students to imbibe AI and enhance their current skills sets to be future-ready.”

Students, in addition to the AI course, will get access to content and developer tools from Microsoft and GitHub, and later certification of participation upon course completion from Microsoft and NASSCOM.

Microsoft-NASSCOM’s partnership will later collaborate with various academic institutions like schools, colleges, and universities, encouraging the requirement of AI technology inclusion in learning modules.

Microsoft-NASSCOM’s partnership has potential to change Indian technology reach to skill talents in AI.