NEW DELHI:  Microsoft has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), to train students and educators at government-run Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and National Skills Training Institutions (NSTIs). Microsoft is committed to equipping youth in India with future-ready skills. As part of this partnership, Microsoft will provide approximately 6,000 students and 200 faculty members with a variety of courses, including training in AI, cloud computing, web development, and cybersecurity skills.

Through this programme, young students will gain industry-related skills that will improve their employability and open doors to relevant work prospects. Students have the chance to learn from business professionals and participate in deep-dive sessions and multidimensional capstone projects in addition to future skills training for AI fluency and basics, cloud computing, and web development. Faculty members will be empowered through Train-the-Trainer courses on AI fluency and foundations, cloud computing, web development, Power BI, and soft skills. The ITI students enrolled in computer operator and programming assistant (COPA) training can thereafter be instructed by these qualified faculty members. At ten NSTIs for women, the CyberShikshaa programme, which teaches beginners and intermediate cybersecurity skills, will also be made available to students and teachers.

"With acceleration in digitalization post-Covid, there has been a huge demand for talent and skilled workforce in the tech space," said Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State (MoS), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; and Ministry of Electronics and IT, in a statement praising the initiative. The skill-building initiatives are being led from the front lines through our platforms like DGTs, ITIs, and STIs. Young Indians will have better access to skills that are more relevant in this rapidly changing digital age thanks to partnerships like the one between DGT and Microsoft, in my opinion. By 2026, it is our goal as a country to have a trillion-dollar digital economy, therefore we are making investments and implementing regulations to help us get there. Protecting our digital assets from cybersecurity threats including data breaches, hacking attempts, identity theft, malware attacks, etc. is the government's top priority. For this reason, it is essential that our educational initiatives contribute to the development of a trained labour force that is capable of successfully defending and guarding digital systems and networks.

"Empowering India's youth with digital skills is crucial to building economic resilience and ensuring a brighter future for all," said Jean-Philippe Courtois, executive vice president and president, National Transformation Partnerships, Microsoft. We are excited to work with DGT to provide the young of the nation with the skills they need to thrive in the modern digital economy. Through this sustainable flywheel of skill development and employment, we can jointly create an inclusive future for the young leaders of tomorrow and realise the full potential of the workforce in the nation.

Microsoft works in partnership with a number of nonprofit institutions to provide a wide selection of courses. Microsoft will collaborate with recruiting and placement firms and statewide job fairs to promote career possibilities in order to ease the placement of successful learners from this project, with assistance from DGT.

Digital transformation is made possible by Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft), which supports the age of the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge. Its goal is to enable each individual and every organisation on the earth to do more. In 1990, Microsoft established its operations in India. Currently, Microsoft organisations in India employ more than 20,000 people in 11 Indian cities, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Noida, and Pune. These workers work in sales and marketing, research and development, and customer care and support. Microsoft provides local data centres with access to its worldwide cloud services to speed up the digital transformation of Indian entrepreneurs, corporations, and governmental agencies.