New Delhi: 18
th November 2020: As part of its ongoing efforts to foster an ecosystem that enhances
India’s digital talent with the right set of skills, the National Association of Software and Services
Companies (NASSCOM) today launched FutureSkills PRIME Beta Platform (https://futureskillsprime.in).
The platform was unveiled by Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics &
Information Technology (MeitY) and Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM.
The programme will be offered as a robust online platform to encourage remote and self-paced learning.
Many awareness-building modules will be free to access, allowing the maximum number of participations.
Under the Programme, 4.12 lakh learners will get subsidised access to certified courses in any of the 10
identified emerging technologies (Artificial Intelligence, Internet of things, Big Data Analytics, Robotic
Process Automation, Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing, Cloud Computing, Social & Mobile, Cyber
Security, Augmented/Virtual Reality and Blockchain.)
On the launch of the platform, Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics &
Information Technology (MeitY), said, “FutureSkills PRIME platform comes just at the right time. As India
continues to fight with the challenges posed by the impacts of the pandemic, which has further accelerated
the pace of digital transformation, it has become an imperative for everyone to learn new skills on new
age technologies. Most of the learning content available on the platform is curated by the Industry and is
aimed at building digital fluency. Everyone today needs to develop digital awareness and fluency on newage technologies because every sector is becoming digital be it healthcare, banking, manufacturing or
retail. We hope to see every citizen signing up on this platform to avail these courses.”
Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM, said, “FutureSkills PRIME is yet another milestone for building
digital talent as a competitive advantage for the industry. Reskilling and automation emerging as the
future drivers of the industry, we aim to craft a new wave of growth and innovation through a digitally
skilled pool of professionals.”
FutureSkills PRIME shows the commitment of the Government to drive a program to make India the global
hub of talent in emerging technologies. The initiative has funded the creation of a digital learning platform,
where learners can attain ‘digital fluency’ and get certified in industry-validated and governmentapproved courses.
The Programme also aims to benefit aspirants from tier-II and tier-III cities, including those from small and
medium enterprises and women & youth who want to participate in the vibrant gig economy from the
convenience of their homes/remote locations.
Salient Features of Future Skills PRIME:
• ‘Aggregator of Aggregators’ Framework – An online aggregator platform with expanded catalogues
and multiple skilling options, facilitating self-paced & continuous learning.
• Diagnostics – Registered candidates will be provided with a diagnostic of their aptitude and
capabilities to guide their choices of learning content on the portal.
• Industry Driven – Content will be created/curated directly by industry, thus ensuring its relevance to
the job market and making it attractive for the learner.
• Micro-credentials – The programme framework is focussed on creating a new skilling paradigm that
creates value at every step.
• Multiple Choice of Courses – Learner can go through courses that are online or blended, self-paced
or instructor-led, paid or free and formal or non-formal.
• Government Officers Training (GOT) & Training of Trainers (ToT) – The network of CDAC & NIELIT
Centres across India would be leveraged for the training of Government officers and master trainers
in the identified 10 technologies.
• NSQF Alignment – Course content eligible for incentives are provided by best-in-class training
providers and will be aligned to the NSQF approved National Occupational Standards & Job Roles
(level 5 & above), thus ensuring a level of standardisation and quality.
• Skills Passport – A unique concept of ‘skills passport’ is an integral feature of the Programme and any
learning that an aspirant acquires during his/her re-skilling/up-skilling journey will be recorded &
recognized.
• Skill Wallet & Incentives – The Skills wallet would be an online digital wallet, which will keep track of
candidate registration & redemption of incentives. This will be introduced to the by early next year.
• Soft/Professional Skills – The platform will also provide learning content on professional skills. People
must learn how to work with each other and with machines.
The platform goes live with a rich catalogue of free, formal & informal learning content on Emerging Techs
& Professional Skills aimed at building digital awareness and fluency. This will be followed by a phase-wise
roll-out of remaining modules of the platform that will include host of Industry aligned paid certification
courses, SSC NASSCOM validated assessments, virtual instructor-led modes of learning, government
incentive scheme registration, Diagnostic tool, virtual labs and much more.
About NASSCOM
The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM®) is the premier trade body and
chamber of commerce of the Tech industry in India and comprises over 2800-member companies including both
Indian and multinational organisations that have a presence in India. Our membership spans across the entire
spectrum of the industry from start-ups to multinationals and from products to services, Global Service Centers
to Engineering firms. Guided by India’s vision to become a leading digital economy globally, NASSCOM focuses
on accelerating the pace of transformation of the industry to emerge as the preferred enablers for global digital
transformation. Our strategic imperatives are to reskill and upskill India’s IT workforce to ensure that talent is
future-ready in terms of new-age skills, strengthen the innovation quotient across industry verticals, create new
market opportunities – both international and domestic, drive policy advocacy to advance innovation and ease
of doing business, and build the Industry narrative with focus on Talent, Trust and Innovation. And, in everything
we do, we will continue to champion the need for diversity and equal opportunity.
NASSCOM has played a key role in not just the growth of the Industry to become a $180+Billion industry today,
but we have helped establish the Tech industry in India as one of the most trusted partners, globally. NASSCOM
continues to make significant efforts in contributing towards India’s GDP, exports, employment, infrastructure
development and global visibility. Our membership base constitutes over 95% of the industry revenues in India
and employs over 4 million professionals, and as technology blends into every aspect of the economy, we expect
the industry to become key driver of growth, development and inclusion for the country. Our mission is to make
India a global hub for Innovation and Talent so when the world thinks Digital, the world will think India.
Satyaki Maitra | Kritarth Srivastava
NASSCOM Press Office – Genesis BCW
+91 9958041503 | +91 7289870408
satyaki.maitra@genesis-bcw.com | kritarth.srivastava@genesis-bcw.com
Kavita Doshi
NASSCOM
+91 120 4990200
kavita@nasscom.in
