Andhra Pradesh to Boost Youth Skills with Microsoft Partnership
Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has forged an agreement with Microsoft to cultivate expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies among the state’s youth, according to an announcement made on Thursday.
Representatives from Microsoft and officials from the Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) formalized the partnership with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Nara Lokesh, the Minister for IT, Electronics, and HRD.
The primary goal of this collaboration is to equip vocational education students, secondary school pupils, and young people with fundamental AI and advanced technology competencies. Minister Lokesh emphasized that this initiative is essential for creating a skilled workforce capable of contributing to the IT and other industries within the state. He further revealed that Microsoft plans to deliver training to 200,000 youths in Andhra Pradesh over the coming year.
Minister Lokesh highlighted that the training provided by Microsoft will improve students’ prospects for employment in AI and other cutting-edge fields globally. Microsoft will also train 500 faculty members and 10,000 engineering students in AI and cloud computing across 50 rural engineering colleges throughout the state. In addition to this, 30,000 students at 30 ITI colleges in rural areas will get training in digital productivity and AI.
Further expanding the scope, another 40,000 individuals will undergo AI skills training under UNICEF’s Passport to Earning 2.0 initiative, while an additional 20,000 will receive training in collaboration with the central Ministry of Labor and Employment. To improve government public services and enhance the skills of government employees, 50,000 individuals will participate in 100 hours of AI training.
Furthermore, upskilling and reskilling in AI will be made available to 20,000 staff members via self-learning paths, workshops, and webinars, with a focus on inter-departmental cooperation. The APSSDC will provide the necessary physical infrastructure for AI training in various regions and will coordinate relevant departments to facilitate the delivery of AI training. Minister Lokesh stated that Microsoft will provide the requisite training and certification to integrate the AI curriculum into educational institutions.
Among those attending the event were Kona Sasidhar, education secretary; Ganesh Kumar, MD of APSSDC; Dinesh Kumar, executive director; Dinesh Kanakamadela, Microsoft’s south head for government business; and Sandeep Bandvedkar, director of Microsoft India – South Asia, along with other dignitaries.
