Accenture to partner with Cisco and Quest Alliance to offer digital training
Accenture has further increased its involvement in India’s skill development efforts, this time through a partnership with Cisco and Quest Alliance to deliver training in the digital sphere to as many as 1.5 million youth across the country. The collaborative efforts will continue for one year.
While many have been working to help develop skills in the Indian market, a new character appears to have emerged in these efforts. Skill development thus far has focused on equipping marginalised groups with low-attrition skills that will help tackle rampant unemployment in India.
However, the public and private sector alike are beginning to realise the value of equipping the youth of the country with skills in the digital sphere. The contemporary global market demands digital talent, and building a strong repository of such talent in India would further boost its economic profile.
Global management consultancy Capgemini recently launched its Digital Academy initiative in India to capitalise on this precise scenario, and Accenture has now joined in on the action. The firm has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to help train 1.5 million youth across India in digital skills.
The MoU was signed with the Directorate General of Training, which operates under the ambit of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. Under the terms, all individuals who are currently enrolled in industrial training institutes listed in the Bharat Skills scheme are eligible for training.
Accenture will be partnered by global technology firm Cisco and education solutions firm Quest Alliance in this new project. Outisde of this MoU, all three will also work on delivering learning programmes across the states of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Bihar and Assam, a programme that will reach over 100,000 students.
Commenting on the programme, Director of Corporate Citizenship at Accenture India Kshitija Krishnaswamy said, “The digital economy is creating opportunities — with artificial intelligence alone estimated to add more than US$1 trillion to the Indian economy by 2035 — yet an unintended consequence of advanced technologies is further marginalization of people, as humans and machines work side by side.”
“The key to continued socio-economic growth in the digital economy is large-scale skilling of those at the greatest risk of displacement, enabling them to use advanced technologies to further their growth. Our collaboration with Cisco and Quest Alliance is part of Accenture’s Skills to Succeed initiative, which aims to create employment opportunities by leveraging digital innovation. So far, we’ve skilled more than 500,000 people in India, and by partnering with the ITIs, we hope to have a positive impact on lives that could be most disrupted in the digital economy,” she added.
