The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), the trade association of Indian IT BPM industry, has launched a new platform for skill development in eight varied technologies.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 19 launched “FutureSkills”. The platform will focus on skill development in areas including Artificial Intelligencce (AI), Virtual Reality, Robotic Process Automation, Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics, 3D Printing, Cloud Computing, Social and Mobile.

“Across the whole spectrum of the industry, skill profiles are undergoing rapid changes witnessing a rising demand for enhanced digital capabilities. With this growing need we are confident that the FutureSkills platform will not only help re-engineer education and but also create employment prospects,” R. Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM.

NASSCOM has also entered into an agreement with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for boosting re-skilling initiatives. NASSCOM and MeitY will collaborate on skill development and continuous learning for individuals and aspirants of the IT-ITeS industry as well as other sectors.

“Digital empowerment can only happen if there is digital inclusion. With the advent of new technologies like AI, Blockchain and IoT, reskilling of young professionals is critical. I’m pleased that NASSCOM has come up with this unique platform for skilling and reskilling young people where my department and team will provide lot of support and assistance. It is all about teamwork where government and private sector leaders and organisations like NASSCOM need to come together and contribute towards digital inclusion,” Union IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The launch comes on the heels recent comments from Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that the government “will explore use of block chain technology proactively for ushering in digital economy.” Recent reports suggest that a number of Indian states are going big on blockchain and either have already launched or going to launch blockchain pilot projects in next couple of months.