India Future Skills and AI Collaborative Roundtable: Building Workforces, Capacities, and Institutional Readiness

Abstract

The roundtable brought together leaders from foundations, corporate CSR, and technology firms to translate IndiaAI’s strategic vision into concrete actions. Core themes included gender‑inclusive AI pathways, impact‑oriented metrics for rural skilling, the need for faculty and ecosystem upskilling, public‑sector capacity building for AI and cyber‑security, and the design of scalable, context‑sensitive learning models. The session culminated in the launch of AI Partshala, a Kyndryl‑led initiative targeting 50 000 learners across 250 schools, underscoring the shift from dialogue to implementation.

Detailed Summary

• The moderator opened by thanking the audience and urging participants to take their seats for the next session.
• Antara Lahiri set the tone, emphasizing the need to move from intent to impact across AI workforce readiness, faculty capacity building, and institutional governance.

2. Women‑Centric AI Pathways – Micron Foundation

• Key Insight: Women are not a monolithic group; intersectionality (income, tribal status, regional patriarchy) shapes technology access.
• Data & Findings:
  • 48 % of Indian women are enrolled in STEM education.
  • Only ≈18 % hold STEM jobs, indicating a major pipeline drop‑off.
• Program Highlight – V‑STEM:
  • Partnership with UN Women to bring AI literacy to ITI‑level girls.
  • Focus on confidence‑building, networking, CV writing, and interview skills.
  • Live booth at the venue showcased Gujarat‑based ITI girls applying AI.
• Recommendation: Leverage AI as a “once‑in‑a‑generation” leap‑frog opportunity for women, especially in underserved communities.

3. Rural/Peri‑Urban Skilling – Redington Foundation (Hemant Lohiya)

• Outcome‑Based Metrics: Enrollment alone is insufficient; true impact measured by economic mobility, sustained employment, and income uplift.
• AI Learning Centers: Launched with Microsoft across five Tier‑2/3 cities; emphasized placement tracking beyond immediate job offers.
• Challenges Identified:
  • Low salaries even after tech skilling in Tier‑2/3 institutions.
  • Faculty empowerment gaps – teachers often lack AI readiness.
• Ecosystem Upskilling:
  • Upskilled 10‑20 k channel partners (Lenovo, IBM) on AI to support small business adoption.
• Recommendation: Prioritize long‑term employment outcomes and faculty development to sustain program continuity.

4. Innovation through Hackathons – Lenovo (Pratima Harite)

• Hackathons run by IBM and Lenovo generate entrepreneurial ideas, fostering an ecosystem where students view AI as a pathway to innovation, not merely employability.

5. Public‑Sector AI & Cyber‑Security – Kyndryl (Parminder Singh Kakria)

• Kindred Readiness Report: Survey of 400 global business leaders; 9/10 public‑sector roles will undergo transformative change within 12 months.
• CSR‑Driven Training: Partnership with Karma Yogi LMS to embed practical AI & cyber‑security modules for central and state officials.
• Key Questions from Officials:
  • Trustworthiness of generative AI outputs (e.g., ChatGPT).
  • Data privacy, model safety, responsible AI design.
• Impact: High demand among officials for practical, non‑technical AI skills, indicating a fertile ground for CSR‑backed capacity building.

6. Governance Architecture – Moderator “Bhamek” (Sutradhar)

• Observed Issues:
  • Geo‑cluster‑centric pilots limit national reach.
  • Over‑reliance on engineering colleges (5‑7 % of Indian higher education) neglects medical, pharma, and broader science streams.
• Proposed Solution: Establish a GST‑council‑style AI Governance Council comprising industry, state & central governments, and academia to coordinate demand‑supply, capacity building, and scaling.

7. AI in Public Schools – Design Principles (Parminder Singh Kakria – response)

• Foundational AI vs. Competency: Prioritize ethics, responsible use, and basic AI concepts over deep technical competence at the school level.
• Teacher Confidence: Critical to equip teachers with AI‑ethics knowledge; teachers act as the conduit for student learning.
• Cyber‑Safety Programs:
  • Cyber Raksha – upskilling 100 k rural women on digital security.
  • Cyber Scenic – reaching 25 k students to protect themselves online.

8. Scalable Global Models – IBM (Shipra Sharma)

• IBM‑SkillsBuild Platform:
  • 30 million targeted learners worldwide across 160 countries.
  • 1 000+ courses, 700 free software packages for higher‑education institutions.
  • Content localized via partners (CSRBOX, etc.) into regional languages.
• Micro‑Credentials: Learners earn modular certificates accessible on mobile.
• Client‑Zero Approach: Use Gen‑AI Assistant to automate internal processes (e.g., Ask‑HR bot), freeing staff for stakeholder engagement; model extends to community programs.

9. South‑South & South‑North Knowledge Transfer – Antara Lahiri

• Replication Model: Successful Indian initiatives (e.g., V‑STEM) are adapted for Singapore, Europe, and Germany, emphasizing contextualisation to local learner segments (women returning to work, etc.).
• Key Insight: AI serves as a leveler; no single geography possesses a monopoly on solutions, enabling cross‑regional learning.

10. Closing Announcement – AI Partshala (Kyndryl)

• Program Launch: AI Partshala (implemented by Bharat Cares & CSRBOX) aims to embed foundational AI literacy in elementary schools.
• Targets:
  • ≈50 000 learners, 1 000+ educators, 250+ schools.
• Focus Areas:
  • Teacher readiness, ethical AI, project‑based learning, and responsible AI for young students.
• Key Participants in Launch: Parminder Singh Kakria (Kyndryl VP, Gov’t Affairs), Guruja Mukund (Director, Global Citizenship), Gitanjali Gaur (Social Impact Leader, CSR), Bhomik Shah (CSRBOX Trustee).

11. Final Remarks

• Moderator thanked participants, reiterated the importance of moving from discussion to concrete action, and invited speakers to remain for post‑session networking.

Key Takeaways

• Intersectional Approach to Women in AI – Programs must address confidence, networking, and socio‑economic barriers, not just curriculum access.
• Outcome‑Based Metrics Over Enrollment – True impact measured by economic mobility, sustained placement, and income uplift in Tier‑2/3 contexts.
• Faculty & Ecosystem Upskilling – Empowering teachers and channel partners is essential for long‑term sustainability of AI skilling initiatives.
• Public‑Sector Capacity Building – Practical, non‑technical AI and cyber‑security training for officials is high‑demand; CSR can catalyze this via LMS partnerships (e.g., Karma Yogi).
• Governance Architecture Needed – A national AI council (analogous to GST council) can harmonize geo‑cluster pilots, scaling, and interdisciplinary education.
• Ethics‑First Curriculum for Schools – Foundational AI education should prioritize ethical use and teacher confidence over deep technical competence.
• Scalable Global Platform – IBM‑SkillsBuild demonstrates the power of localized, micro‑credentialed content combined with AI‑driven operational efficiencies.
• South‑South/North Knowledge Transfer – Replicating successful Indian models abroad accelerates inclusive AI adoption worldwide.
• AI Partshala Launch – Concrete commitment to reach 50 k learners and 250 schools, embodying the session’s shift from dialogue to action.
• Collaboration as Cornerstone – Across NGOs, corporates, and government, joint pilots, shared funding, and knowledge exchange are identified as the most effective pathways to scale AI future‑skills initiatives.

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See Also:

• empowering-the-human-edge-building-a-future-ready-workforce-in-the-age-of-ai
• from-promising-pilots-to-system-shifts-what-it-really-takes-to-scale-responsible-ai-in-education
• shaping-resilient-futures-in-the-age-of-ai-leadership-for-the-technology-energy-and-security-transitions
• scaling-trusted-ai-global-practices-local-impact
• ai-for-economic-growth-and-social-good-ai-for-all-driving-economic-advancement-and-societal-well-being