Latest News | Cisco, NSDC Partner for Digital Upskilling

New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) Cisco Networking Academy and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) on Monday announced a partnership that is aimed at addressing the shortage of tech-proficient workforce in India and creating career opportunities for millions in the digital economy.

The partnership will offer access to the Cisco Networking Academy courses through NSDC's eSkill India platform to provide comprehensive digital skills critical for the digital-first world, a statement said.

It aims to enable free access to an industry-relevant global curriculum and content in Networking, Cybersecurity, Programming, the Internet of Things (IoT), Digital Essentials, and Linux, the statement added.

The demand for technical talent continues to outpace supply, and as an example, Cybersecurity demand is expected to increase five times over the next four years in India.

The Networking Academy offers courses to help develop foundational Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills needed to design, build and manage networks, along with soft skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, and critical thinking. The courses are open to all and will prepare candidates for entry-level ICT jobs, help them pursue additional training or education, and earn globally recognised certification.

eSkill India is an e-learning aggregator portal from NSDC that brings together digital learning resources through various Indian and global knowledge partnerships.

Currently, the portal catalogues over 1,200 digital courses from its partners, and over 4000 additional courses are connected through affiliate channels across various sectors in multiple languages.

“NSDC endeavors to build a tech-enabled workforce to meet the evolving needs of the new-age work environment. This partnership underscores a mutual commitment to make digital skilling accessible to all,” Vandana Bhatnagar, Chief Program Officer at NSDC said.

Harish Krishnan, Managing Director (Public Affairs and Strategic Engagements) at Cisco India, said India's demand for a digitally skilled workforce is expected to increase nine-fold by 2025.

"As we march steadily towards a digital economy, we need no less than a skilling revolution to bridge this considerable gap. This partnership with NSDC aims to upskill the existing talent in emerging technologies to drive innovation, accelerate growth, and transform India into a Digital Talent Nation," he added.

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