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MoU to strengthen AI skills among students; national programme aims to reach over one lakh learners
AI Skills Get a Major Push
Pooja Srivastava | Anytime News Network
: In a significant move to prepare Uttar Pradesh’s youth for the rapidly evolving digital economy, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU), Uttar Pradesh, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen student capabilities in Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies.
Building an AI-Ready India
The partnership will advance the “Dreams Unlocked: Building an AI-Ready India – Skilling the Youth on AI” initiative, a national AI and machine-learning skilling programme launched by CII in collaboration with HP.
The initiative aims to provide more than one lakh students across India with practical and industry-oriented knowledge in emerging technology domains.
From AI to Generative AI
Under the programme, students will receive training exposure in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Python programming, Data Analysis and Generative AI. A 30-hour self-paced online learning programme has been made available to enable students to undertake the training according to their own schedules.
IIT-Backed Learning Content
The study material for the programme has been developed by experts from IIT Madras and has received approval from the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET).
The initiative is being supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the India AI Impact Summit 2026, aligning the programme with India’s broader priorities in AI adoption, digital transformation and future-ready skills.
Bridging Industry and Academia
The CII-AKTU collaboration is aimed at creating a stronger ecosystem for AI skilling in Uttar Pradesh by bringing industry and academia closer together. The partnership is expected to give students greater access to skills that are increasingly relevant to the changing employment landscape.
Preparing Tomorrow’s Workforce
As AI and emerging technologies reshape industries and workplaces, the availability of digitally skilled talent is becoming increasingly important. The initiative seeks to help Uttar Pradesh develop a stronger pool of digitally capable, skilled and employment-ready young people.
The collaboration also reflects the growing importance of industry-academia partnerships in preparing students not merely for existing jobs, but for a technology-driven economy where AI literacy and practical digital capabilities are becoming increasingly valuable.
