Concerning Microsoft India ~

Microsoft facilitates digital transformation for the intelligent edge and cloud age. Its goal is to enable every individual and every organization on the earth to reach their full potential. In 1990, Microsoft established its operations in India. Over 23,000 people work for Microsoft companies in India today, providing industry solutions, research and development, customer support, and sales and marketing services in ten Indian cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Noida, and Pune. Microsoft accelerates digital transformation across Indian startups, enterprises, and government agencies by providing its global cloud services from regional datacenters.

Multiple Headlines of February 7, 2024, speaks ~ Microsoft today announced a major skill-building program in India with the goal of providing 2 million individuals with AI capabilities by 2025. ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA is a project within Microsoft's Skills for Jobs program, which aims to equip India's labor force with skills relevant to the future. The program is a component of Microsoft's larger effort to quicken India's AI revolution. The company's responsible AI principles are in line with the skilling program, and training will be provided in collaboration with communities, businesses, and nonprofits. Ninety percent of Indian CEOs believe that their new hires would require new skills to prepare them for the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), according to Microsoft's latest Work Trend Index. Moreover, according to 78% of Indian workers, they lack the necessary AI skills to finish their present workload. 

Smt. Trishaljit Sethi, Director General (Training), Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, stated that , "In the years to come, AI innovation will play a pivotal role in shaping our future. We at the Directorate General of Training, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, stay dedicated to realizing the potential of the AI era for India, in partnership with Microsoft and others." This commitment entails giving the young people instruction in technologies that are redefining the ways in which people interact, work, solve problems in the real world, and live. The youth's skilling mission is being driven by our institutions, such as our skilling platform, ITIs, and NSTIs. We are dedicated to helping India's digital future by enabling a sizable workforce throughout the nation and making sure that important industries in India are prepared for and lead the way in AI. The ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA program demonstrates Microsoft's strong commitment to facilitating inclusive growth with technology and is a major step towards democratizing access to AI capabilities throughout the country.  Building AI fluency at scale is a crucial first step in India's enormous potential to lead the world in this field. By equipping Indian individuals with the necessary skills to prosper in the AI era, this project seeks to catapult the country into a hopeful era of AI fluency.  Building a diverse and inclusive talent pool is imperative for organizations, this is because of the rising need for professionals in AI and security skills and the shortage of skilled talent, especially in AI domain. 

In order to foster AI fluency, the ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA program will concentrate on three main areas:

• preparing India's future labor force,
• improving the AI proficiency of government employees, and
•  enhancing the AI capacity of nonprofit institutions.

Why Good News For India ? 

AI Driven Skilling ~ 

• Educating the next generation of workers to fully utilize AI  : Microsoft and 10 state governments in India will collaborate to deliver ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA, which will offer 500,000 students and job seekers in 100 rural vocational education institutions and training facilities basic and advanced AI training. By doing this, Microsoft and the government will strengthen their current partnership to provide youth with cybersecurity and digital literacy training.    
• Furthermore, Microsoft will use 5,000 trainers at higher education institutions in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to offer 100,000 young women comprehensive training in AI technical capabilities. This will be accomplished by improving skill-building programs for women in cloud, AI, and cybersecurity with AI credentials and making Microsoft's AI Trainer Toolkit Guide available for trainers.  Additionally, Microsoft will enable industry partnerships for jobs, internships, and mentorship, as well as access to Azure AI capabilities for the development of digital solutions. As part of the program, Microsoft will empower 400,000 students in schools located in remote and tribal areas to become the next generation of AI innovators by increasing their understanding of ethical AI use and AI-enabled employment. Three worldwide Microsoft initiatives—Technology Education and Literacy in Schools (TEALS), Farm Beats for Students, and the AI Guidance for Schools Toolkit for teachers—will be piloted in order to do this.  

Regulating AI ~ 

• Enhancing government employees' AI skills to provide citizens with next-generation services. Microsoft and the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building in India will expand their collaboration, enabling 250,000 government employees to become more fluent in AI and get a basic understanding of generative AI. Through this relationship, government personnel' productivity will increase and digital governance in rural India would be transformed. Additionally, it will strengthen capacities for funding the next wave of AI-powered citizen services that cater to the needs of residents wherever they may be.