TLDR: The Indian government, through its Ministry of Education and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, has partnered with IBM to provide future-ready skills to the nation’s youth. This collaboration, formalized through eight MoUs, will leverage IBM’s SkillsBuild platform to offer courses in emerging technologies like generative AI, cybersecurity, and cloud computing across school education, higher education, and vocational training. The initiative aims to bridge the skills gap and prepare a digitally proficient workforce for India’s future.
The Indian government has entered into a significant partnership with global technology giant IBM to equip the nation’s youth with “future-ready skills,” focusing on critical digital competencies essential for the evolving job market. This collaboration, announced around November 9, 2025, involves the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) signing eight Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with IBM.
Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan, emphasized that this partnership will focus on providing a vast number of learners across various educational levels—school education, higher education, and vocational skills—with crucial digital skills. The curriculum will encompass future technologies such as generative AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and professional development skills, all delivered through the IBM SkillsBuild platform.
The initiative is structured to span three core levels of education:
School Education: IBM will grant school students, teachers, and trainers access to digital content from IBM SkillsBuild. This content will cover cutting-edge skills and will be made available in schools identified by key educational bodies including the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), and the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). The program will be delivered through online modules, webinars, and in-person workshops. Furthermore, IBM will update the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) AI curriculum for Grades 11 and 12 and develop a cyber skilling and blockchain curriculum for high school students, which will also be hosted on IBM SkillsBuild.
Higher Education: The collaboration will extend to higher education institutions, working closely with the Department of Higher Education to integrate these advanced skill development programs.
Vocational Skills: The partnership will also address vocational training, ensuring that individuals pursuing vocational courses are equipped with the necessary digital skills to meet industry demands.
This comprehensive approach aligns with IBM’s global commitment to skill 30 million people by 2030, aiming to address the prevalent skills gap in the global workforce. The goal in India is to create a robust education and skilling ecosystem that fosters critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and next-generation innovators.
In a related development, IBM and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have also established a National AI Lab at AICTE’s headquarters in New Delhi, announced on October 31, 2025. This lab is designed to be a premier center for AI research, training, and innovation, offering advanced computing infrastructure and AI software to all AICTE-affiliated institutions. The initiative aims to skill 2 million Indian learners in AI by 2026 and will include in-person workshops, mentorship from IBM experts, project-based learning, and innovation challenges to promote practical AI applications.
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Sandip Patel, Managing Director of IBM India/South Asia, highlighted that this collaboration will empower India’s youth with essential skills and knowledge to thrive in the digital age, contributing significantly to India’s status as a digital talent hub.
