What if I told you that the students trained under Adani Skill Development Centres (ASDC) are generating over INR 1,300 crore annually through entrepreneurial and employment opportunities? This is a testament to the fact that our young population is India’s biggest strength and asset and empowering them through education and skilling is a wise investment towards the cause of nation-building.

We are proud to enable an ecosystem that empowers the youth of the country so that they can begin their own ventures or be job ready as per industrial requirements.

To contribute towards the Government’s Skill India mission, the Adani Foundation launched Saksham on 16 May 2016 and has invested 200 crore human hours on training the youth of the country. As Saksham completes eight years since it embarked upon the journey, it is heartening to see the outreach and impact. Today, 40 Adani Skill Development Centres are present across 15 states of India and have trained 1.5 lakh youth till date – and we are only getting started!

Here, it is crucial to mention that technology has been one of the most influential factors that has shaped Saksham’s journey. We are living in a rapidly digitalising world, wherein many opportunities of employment and entrepreneurship are on the horizon. It is not a surprise that India is shining and leading from the front when it comes to developing and deploying cutting edge technology for mass usage. One of the best examples is the seamless integration of digital payment ecosystem in our country. It is not just banking made easy but a revolution in all connected eco-systems.

ASDC has always been nimble on its feet. It has been relentless in its pursuit to align itself with latest trends in skilling and industry demands. In the past few years, we have given a lot of impetus to bringing technological advancements in the course offerings and teaching ecosystem. ASDC has introduced many technology-based courses with state-of-the-art teaching infrastructure, both offline and online. Some of the widely popular courses are welding through augmented reality-(AR) based simulator, crane operator training with physical simulators, virtual courses in the Metaverse and foundational courses on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

These facilities support skill ecosystem on the one hand, making youth employable, and on the other hand, it supports businesses to employ quality human resources with minimal training needs on the job. In the past, some of the Adani Group businesses have come forward for skill Development programs with specific needs. This includes Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd, Shanti Sagar International Dredging Ltd, ACC Cements Ltd, Adani Enterprises Ltd, Adani Gas Ltd and Adani Energy Solution Ltd. They are continuously contributing to nation building by identifying skills needed in these industries and extending their support in providing all technical assistance in setting up skill centres.

For example, ASDC’s largest skilling facility is in Krishnapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The centre offers 21 simulation-based skill development programmes under one roof. These simulators are providing training by creating a virtual environment required for real-world operations, thereby benefiting many students.

Driven by innovation, ASDC continue to adapt technology as part of its curriculum with a vision to make everyone ‘Saksham’ (skilled) with a purpose of generating sustainable livelihood. ASDC has been consistently making new and latest content available for trainees. Now almost all the content is converted into digital format and available on its own learning management system, designed by ASDC. In a latest development, ASDC has introduced 4 training programmes on a Metaverse-based SAKSHAM platform. Here, it offers course like General Duty Assistant (GDA), Basics of Fire Safety, Smart Meter Installation Technician and Domestic Electrical Wiring.

The multi-user capability course on GDA provides opportunities to learn and collaborate with peer students in a virtual environment through VR headsets. Students from any corner of the world can join this course using VR Headset. To make it more attractive, some gamifications and interactive sessions are also added.

ASDC has also introduced a course on the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence, recognising how it has become a crucial part of tech-oriented programmes. Some of the AI tools which are taught at Saksham centres are ChatGPT, Leonardo.AI, Synthesia.io, DeepBrain.AI, Copilot, Canva and Soundraw.io to help youths learn in detail about the practical use of AI in their day-to-day lives. Other areas where ASDC is expanding its footprints are Drone Pilot, 3D Printing, Data Analytics and Data Science with Dashboarding through LookerStudio, PowerBi and Tableau.

Placements has remained one of the core strengths of ASDC – its students are already placed in noted corporate houses and multinational companies (MNCs), including Amazon India and Flipkart among others.

Over the years, the efforts and contributions of ASDC has been recognised, and the organisation received felicitations from both national and international institutions. Some of the noteworthy awards are - ‘Best Advanced Unique Learning Technology’ in a Gold Category from Brandon Hall Group in the USA in December 2022 and Best Practice in Digital Transformation in the Innovation category by CII Digital Transformation DX 2023 awards held at Delhi.

I truly believe that technology can help us to create a more equitable world. That apart, the fact that these are cost-effective ways to skill the youth are well-aligned with our aim to make more and more youth Saksham – reaching more and more of those who are hungry to learn, apply and progress. Adani Saksham, under the aegis of the Adani Foundation, is proud to be contributing towards building the nation.

The writer is the CEO of Adani Skill Development Centre.