IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced that it is collaborating with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras to support their Online BSc Degree program and augment select courses on the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) platform.

IBM experts will be co-offering a Quantum Computing course on the NPTEL Platform and augment select NPTEL courses such as Data Science & AI with technical inputs that will help provide students with a current industry perspective.

They will also conduct technical sessions for NPTEL partner colleges through their local chapters and for the IIT M’s Online BSc Degree program. These sessions will be free of cost and made available on the NPTEL & IIT M’s online platforms. The engagement will further strengthen IBM’s & NPTEL’s commitment on various initiatives to bring top-tier courses & new-collar employability skills to any student from a rural or non-urban area in India.

Mona Bharadwaj, Global University Programs Leader, IBM India said, “Technology has emerged as a key business enabler and Indian enterprises have been accelerating adoption of new-age technologies like Hybrid Cloud, AI, Analytics, Quantum Computing & IoT. At the same time, the skills gap of India’s student community continues to widen. IBM has been working with various government and academic institutions to improve the technical education avenues and the engagement with IIT Madras and NPTEL is a significant milestone in this journey. The collaboration will help equip students with 21st-century skill sets that can build new career paths.”

Prof. Andrew Thangaraj, Coordinator, NPTEL, IIT Madras, said, “IITs and IISc can reach out to a large number of learners through the NPTEL platform. NPTEL currently works with more than 4,000 colleges in engineering, arts, commerce, science, and management disciplines across the country. Many students are taking NPTEL certification exams as it helps them in improving their employability. NPTEL has been working towards bringing in an industry perspective to its technically rich courses and is partnering with companies to co-offer the courses. Experts and senior leaders from companies are contributing through their LIVE sessions on various technologies and are giving career guidance to the NPTEL learners. We are very happy to partner with IBM in this outreach initiative.”   

Prof. Prathap Haridoss, Dean, Academic Courses, IIT Madras, said, “Online technical sessions from the IBM experts will provide industry insights to our students in the Online BSc Degree Program. Online mode of learning is making it very convenient for industry-academia partnerships. We are happy to partner with IBM and look forward to collaborating in more such areas.”

The International Labour Organization estimates India’s skill deficit will reach 29 million by 2030. A recent IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) study found that approximately 30% of Gen Z and millennial working professionals plan to enrol in a formal degree, certification, or badging program in 2021. In May 2021, IBM announced a collaboration with IIT Madras to provide faculty, researchers, and students with access to IBM’s quantum systems, accelerate joint research in quantum computing, and develop curricula to help prepare students. IBM has also collaborated with NPTEL to offer a 12-week online course focused on blockchain architecture, design and use cases.

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