Government to double down on creating New-Age skill sets

New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) Realising the need to create skilled professionals in the New-Age technologies that are changing the business landscape for both big and small enterprises, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the government would double down on its efforts to help develop the required skill sets needed by the industries across the spectrum.

"We would ensure creating skill sets for technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) Internet of Things (IOT), data analytics, 3D printing, Virtual Reality and robotics," said Sitharaman while presenting her first Union Budget.

Supria Dhanda, Vice President and Country Manager, Western Digital India, said that they are happy to see the efforts to improve the skills of India's youth in emerging technologies like AI and Big Data.

"Our country has a diverse talent pool and initiatives like having 75,000 entrepreneurs for skill development and transforming the National Education Policy for higher education will create a new league of upcoming professionals," said Dhanda.

According to Sudeshna Datta, Co-founder and Executive Vice President, Absolutdata, the vision for a technology-driven economy that prioritizes emerging technologies as the prerequisite for future growth is welcomed.

"Training millions of youngsters in emerging technologies such as AI, Data Analytics and Machine Learning and soft skill such as foreign language training focused on research and innovation is a huge step. The initiatives are focused on empowering the future workforce with a 'global-first' perspective," Datta said in a statement.

Siddharth Viswanath, Partner and Leader, Cybersecurity, PwC India said: "Creating a pool of skilled professionals in areas such as AI, robotics, VR, 3D, etc, is commendable. For India to be truly digital and fit for future economy, we also need to nurture and build cyber skills and technologies".

"To deliver on the country's Digital India vision, we believe that an increased focus on initiatives for new-age skills in Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Robotics, etc. will further bridge the gap between technology and talent," noted Rajan Navani, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, JetSynthesys.

njali Amar, Country Manager at Verizon Enterprise Solutions said: "The economic and societal benefits that these technologies are poised to deliver means that it is imperative to reskill India's IT workforce. This will ensure that tomorrow's IT executives will be armed with the necessary knowledge to future-proof India's digital future".