Hyderabad, Feb 19 (IANS) The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) on Monday launched a platform to upskill two million IT employees and skill two million youth in eight emerging technologies starting with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the FutureSkills platform while formally inaugurating the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) 2018 through video conference from New Delhi.

Half of the Indian IT industry’s four million employees will be upskilled and another two million potential employees and students will be skilled over the next three to four years under the initiative launched by Nasscom and the industry with the help of the Central government.

The technology professionals and the youth will be skilled and reskilled in AI, Virtual Reality, Robotic Process Automation, Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics, 3D Printing, Cloud Computing, Social and Mobiles.

Underlining the need to reflect on the changing nature of jobs, in the emerging age of intelligent automation, the Prime Minister complimented Nasscom for developing the platform.

“We also need to ensure that our existing work-force is able to re-skill as new technologies emerge. One of the invited speakers at this event, the robot Sophia, shows the potential of new technologies,” he said.

Nasscom also signed an MoU with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to collaborate in fostering, cultivating and strengthening reskilling initiatives.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Nasscom President R. Chandrashekhar on the sidelines of WCIT, the three-day global event which began here on Monday.

As a part of the MoU, Nasscom and MeitY will work together to enable skill development and continuous learning not only for individuals in the IT-ITeS industry and its aspirants but also employees belonging to other sectors.

Prasad said the government would extend all possible help to Nasscom and the industry in the initiative.

Chandrasekhar said the initiative would be significant for the IT industry to achieve its aspiration of $350 billion IT exports, from the current $150 billion, by 2025.

He said the platform would not only help the existing workforce to acquire new skills in the emerging technologies but will also create an industry-ready workforce.

The platform for reskilling and upskilling of the workforce in new and emerging ICT technologies complements the government’s Digital India initiative.

While Digital India is working on steps to increase domestic electronic production, BPO promotion schemes for employment, this platform will make talent available for India and the Indian industry to embrace opportunities from emerging technologies, Nasscom said.

–IANS
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