Indian government think tank NITI Aayog seeks to make students industry-ready in blockchain and AI

Indian government think tank NITI Aayog, in collaboration with IBM India, has announced an internship program to make students industry ready in areas such as artificial intelligence, Internet-of-Things, cybersecurity, cloud computing and blockchain.

The first-of-its-kind internship program will take the top performing under 18 students selected by ATAL Innovation Mission (AIM). IBM said that it is working closely with the Indian government to support AIM which aims to instill a culture of scientific innovation among children.

“If India aspires to become a knowledge-driven economy, it has to focus on up-skilling and re-skilling its workforce to move up the value chain. Our collaboration with NITI Aayog will help students better align with industry imperatives and make them future-proof. The industry, ecosystem and government partnership is the key towards building India’s talent base to compete in the global economy,” says Chaitanya Sreenivas, Vice President and HR Head, IBM India Pvt. Ltd.

The two-week paid internship program will be held at the IBM Bangalore Campus. It will see over 40 high school students getting trained in emerging technologies as well as critical workplace skills.

The program will help students experience the corporate environment and gain exposure to new technologies by IBM experts. This initiative is part of IBM’s commitment to upskill next generation for future jobs in technology’s fastest-growing fields.

"We are delighted to partner with IBM in our endeavor to inspire students and support the innovation ecosystem to work towards improving the learning environment and creating more local innovators from India. We believe IBM’s resources will enable the students with new-age capabilities and impart valuable problem solving, innovation and entrepreneurial skills to create the job creators of the future,” R Ramanan, Mission Director Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog said.