Since the turn of the decade, the focus on the developmental aspect of technologies has grown multifolds. The public release of Artificial Intelligence (AI) models, Cloud Computing, Edge Computing, Machine Learning (ML), Automation and many more technologies have essentially had a transformational impact on global businesses. As a result, companies, irrespective of size, have prioritised the digital transformation of their respective businesses, but absolute adoption has not been achieved.

While requirements have shifted unprecedentedly, one of the obstacles in addressing this growing demand has been the lack of trained professionals. From Big Tech to startups, firms, irrespective of size, have found it difficult to find professionals with adequate knowledge of the new-age technologies, leading them to introduce initiatives to upskill their existing workforces. Although upskilling has been identified as the catalyst behind addressing this challenge, the lack of a unified approach in upskilling is creating a huge gap, an aspect that must be addressed comprehensively to ensure a talent funnel that is not only efficient but also productive and adequate.

Additionally, while both public and private sectors have pitched in throughout the world to ensure a holistic upskilling for billions of talents, a framework for what is required and what is not is yet to be established. This has directly translated into discrepancies in the understanding of the new-age technologies among peers from different nationalities. For instance, China mandates AI education for six-year-old children, whereas the same has not been replicated in India, or as a matter of fact, elsewhere in the world. Even in the Indian context, students from different states receive AI education at different stages of development, and a naturalised curriculum and pedagogy have not been established so far, leading to a distinct understanding of this technology. This calls for global collaborations on creating a standardised framework for AI education, the impact of which could be highlighted in the years to come.

Shifting requirements of tech users

What makes technology a great unifier is that it is not bound by geography, language, or demographics. This means that technology users, in this context, the users of AI, or Cloud Computing, or ML, could be essentially anyone, in an individual or organisational capacity. Even a decade back, the usage of technology had a very limited scope in education, or office work, something that has transcended since to impact individuals across the globe. For example, AI is being used by companies for customer relationships, while at the same time, it is being used by students to help with their homework or to help children with their curiosity. In general, this highlights the scope of how technology has evolved over the years, and to address this massive influx of users, tech firms require a more focused and equipped workforce than ever before.

The reason behind it is simple. The new-age technologies are rapidly integrating them into every nook and corner of our daily lives. As usage increases, so does the sector responsible for it. And with these technologies at a nascent stage of development, more professionals are required to keep the engine running. With no established way of learning these technologies, talent upskilling through a unified approach has become imperative, and the changing requirements in the industry and by users are the driving aspects behind this paradigm shift.

What we get when a unified approach, or a framework, is established for upskilling is a potent workforce that has adequate knowledge of different new-age technologies in different capacities. At this stage, employees would not need to upskill every time they switch jobs, since their understanding of the technology remains universally valid and impactful.

Importance of a unified upskilling approach

The gradual technological maturing of users has led to significantly rising value propositions for the global tech industry. This has also been responsible for the creation of millions of new jobs across the world. In the Indian context, upskilling is being considered as the catalyst for ensuring promising tech careers, especially at a time when the Indian IT & tech industry is on the cusp of attaining global attention. 

This is where a unified framework for tech upskilling will be imperative to drive the industry growth. With global economies falling into inflation and recession fears, the Indian context offers a much more methodically aligned roadmap for tech professionals. Furthermore, as India looks to become a developed nation by 2047, of the vision of Viksit Bharat, technological excellence will be one of the drivers of attaining the status. A unified upskilling approach focusing on technological knowledge will be the catalyst to achieving this status, helping India to be positioned at higher echelons of technological innovation, originality and much more. It will also help to generate direct and indirect jobs, creating a methodically aligned roadmap for the immense potential of Indian talent in the long run.

Future outlook

The coming years will be crucial to establishing a unified learning approach to upskilling. The Indian government has shown tremendous fervour with supportive initiatives in tech education. The government has also introduced various programs and initiatives to drive this at large. However, to cater to the significant population of a country such as India, a public-private partnership will be a crucial cog in the effort. While the National Education Policy (NEP) and state education policies have shown significant support so far in this area, the onus remains on the policymakers, educationists and industry stakeholders to create a tech education model that not only embodies upskilling at it deepest, but also offers a predetermined roadmap for Indian talents in the coming years, supplementing the country’s rise in the world stage.

Views are personal

The author is Founder and CEO of GUVI Geek Network