Nasscom to use members’ CSR funds for re-skilling engineers in blockchain, AI, robotics
National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) has said that its non-profit social arm will use members' corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for re-skilling IT engineers in blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics.
The initiative was announced at Nasscom Foundation’s Tech for Good conference in Bengaluru on innovative approaches to CSR. Nasscom Foundation is the non-profit social arm of Nasscom. Nasscom Foundation gets CSR funds from the members of the IT industry lobby group.
Nasscom said that the technologies mentioned above can solve day-to-day problems while improving the social fabric of the country.
Rekha Menon, chairman and senior managing director at consulting services firm Accenture India, said that the country’s IT engineers needed to upskill and re-skill to remain relevant.
According to a report from Accenture, 95% of the IT workforce believed it needed new skills to remain relevant.
Ashok Pamidi, chief executive of Nasscom Foundation, said, "Development for all has been one of the cornerstones of the public policy of the government of India and we want to take the vision forward by providing a platform for the IT-BPM (business process management) industry to collaborate and solve India’s most-pressing problems.”
Around 80% of the jobs created in the future will require STEM – science, technology, engineering and maths skills, Nasscom said. It added that CSR initiatives will also focus on STEM education for children by building maker-spaces, tinkering labs, collaborating to develop curriculum and exposing the students to new technologies at a young age.
The Accelerate 10X programme is a part of Nasscom 10,000 Startups initiative and will mentor 100 mature-stage startups every year, the industry group had said.
It is a six-month programme divided in phases of 45 days each and will focus on three key aspects -- product (global acceleration and mentoring), technology (engineering and deep-tech lab) and access to patient capital, Nasscom said.
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