Hyderabad, February 20,  2018:  The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)   has joined hands with the government to  launch FutureSkills, a platform to upskill some 2 million IT professionals and create an equal number of new entrants  in 8 technologies -- AI,  Virtual Reality, Robotic Process Automation, Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics, 3D Printing, Cloud Computing, Social& Mobile.
The platform was unveiled by  Prime Minister Narendra Modi via teleconference at the combined NASSCOM Vision Summit and the World Congress of Information Technology   here yesterday.
NASSCOM  signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Electronics andInformation Technology (MeitY), Government of India, to collaboratively foster, cultivate and strengthen reskilling initiatives. They  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.
Commenting on the MoU,  Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Law & Justice and Electronics and IT, Govt. of India said, “Digital empowerment can only happen if there is digital inclusion. With the advent of new technologies like AI, Blockchain and IoT, reskilling of young professionals is critical. I’m pleased that NASSCOM has come up with this unique platform for skilling and reskilling young people where my department and team will provide lot of support and assistance. It is all about teamwork where government and private sector leaders and organisations like NASSCOM need to come together and contribute towards digital inclusion.”
The platform for re-skilling and up-skilling of workforce in new and emerging ICT technologies is a complement to Digital India initiative of the Government. 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.
Added  R. Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM: “Across the whole spectrum of the industry, skill profiles are undergoing rapid changeswitnessing a rising demand for enhanced digital capabilities. With this growing need we are confident that the FutureSkills platform will not only help re-engineer education and but also create employment prospects. Also, the MoU we signed today is a  momentous milestone in industry andgovernment’s collaborative initiatives to build sustainable talent for the industry.”
NASSCOM has conducted a comprehensive study with the Boston Consulting Group to identify 8 technologies, poised to grow tremendously, both nationally and globally, in the coming decade, along with associated 55 job roles and corresponding skills required for those technologies. The FutureSkills platform will enable discovery, continuous learning and a marketplace of best-in-class training providers/virtual labs and certifications for each of these job roles and skills, with customised pathways for learning.
The three day event showcased  a large number of  startup innovations – some of which IndiaTechOnlne will highlight in coming days.