Companies Step Up Reskilling in the Era of AI
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As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform industries, companies face a critical challenge: How to prepare their workforce for a future that looks vastly different from the past. To stay relevant, companies are taking on various measures to reskill and upskill their employees to mitigate the risk of turning them redundant.
The World Economic Forum estimates that automation will displace 85 million jobs by 2025, and 40 per cent of core skills will change for workers. AI will usher in a new era of productivity and value, and business leaders in the C-suite should make employees part of that future.
At IT services company Persistent Systems, continuous learning and development of its people has always been a strategic priority to ensure they remain relevant and future-ready. "Our talent strategy is rooted in a robust learning ecosystem, led by Persistent University and our Digital Engineering Academy. Our Digital Engineering Academy offers AI-personalized learning paths mapped to over 6,500 skills, enabling employees to gain both breadth and depth in emerging technologies," says Dhanashree Bhat, Chief Operating Officer, Persistent Systems.
"Over 18,000 employees have completed internal foundational training in GenAI, and our teams have earned close to 4,000 external certifications. Beyond this, we are scaling access to deeper specializations in AI, ML, and GenAI through a mix of internal modules and industry-recognized certifications. We have over 22,000 partner certifications across a range of technologies, including AI, which are critical to driving customer transformation," says Bhat.
Fidelity Investments' global capability center (GCC) in India has been a key part of the company's global operations for over two decades. With a talent base of over 7,000 associates in India, it plays a pivotal role in driving innovation and delivering business-critical solutions.
"At Fidelity Investments India, we recognise that in today's fast-changing landscape, embracing the cutting edge of technology is key to making a difference. We look to develop solutions and experiences to meet the dynamic business requirements," says Srinivas Gururaja Rau, Head of Fidelity Fund and Investment Operations Technology India, Fidelity Investments.
"We have embedded this culture of constant upskilling and reskilling across all levels of the organization. Whether it's through structured programs like LEAP, an upskilling cohort for early-career technologists, role-based learning journeys, internal technology communities, niche hackathon events, our innovation and patent programs, or regular hands-on certification and training programs, we provide a host of opportunities for our technologists to learn and work on the latest emerging technologies in financial services, to innovate for the future," says Rau.
ACQUISITIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS
Several companies are also acquiring niche startups and leveraging partnerships to enable their reskilling initiatives. For instance, IT major Accenture recently acquired edtech firm TalentSprint from NSE Academy Ltd. The acquisition is expected to bolster Accenture LearnVantage's ability to drive growth through key university certifications and high impact bootcamps, creating trained talent pools for enterprises and governments. As part of the acquisition, TalentSprint's team of approximately 210 professionals will join Accenture LearnVantage.
"TalentSprint's end-to-end delivery capabilities of focused learning programs provide a competitive value proposition for learners and enterprises alike, making it a great fit for our expanding LearnVantage business," said Kishore Durg, global lead of Accenture LearnVantage. "The addition of TalentSprint further boosts our ability to meet our clients' demand for training, helping their people gain the essential technology skills in emerging areas needed to reinvent their organizations and achieve greater business value."
Saurabh Kumar Sahu, who leads Accenture's India business, added, "India is witnessing a growing need for specialized technology skills at scale as enterprises accelerate their digital transformation efforts and Global Capability Centers evolve into R&D, innovation, and engineering hubs. We see significant opportunities to partner with these organisations to build a pool of readily deployable talent skilled in emerging technologies."
The acquisition of TalentSprint complements Accenture's recent investments in Udacity and Award Solutions, and aligns with the company's USD 1 billion investment in LearnVantage over three years, announced in early 2024.
"Since inception, our mission has been to equip learners with deep expertise for a disrupted world," said Anurag Bansal, Managing Director and CEO of TalentSprint. "Joining forces with Accenture LearnVantage allows us to scale our impact, delivering cutting-edge technology and next-gen management programs that are valued and trusted by students, professionals, organizations, and governments alike."
French IT major Capgemini recently collaborated with the Nasscom Foundation to skill and certify more than 700 disadvantaged youths through their AI for Skilling program. As India moves swiftly towards an AI-driven future, the demand for a workforce proficient in AI competencies continues to grow. Capgemini and the Nasscom Foundation partnership plays a key role in helping to meet this demand by equipping the youth with advanced skills in generative AI, robotics, fintech, and more.
Implemented currently in Delhi NCR and Bengaluru, the program is designed to provide a comprehensive 200-hour training, comprising over 140 hours of technical training and more than 60 hours of soft skills development. The initiative builds on Capgemini Digital Academy program, which trains thousands of youths across India in high-demand digital skills, creating opportunities for careers in technology.
"AI is shaping a bold new era of work—one where innovation, inclusion, and human potential thrive together. Through Capgemini's Digital Academy, in partnership with Nasscom Foundation, we are bridging the digital divide - equipping the youth with industry-relevant AI and technology skills for meaningful careers. This initiative is also fuelled by the passion of our employee volunteers, who mentor and guide learners, reinforcing our commitment to inclusive growth," says Ashwin Yardi, CEO, Capgemini India.
Commenting on the success of the initiative, Jyoti Sharma, CEO, Nasscom Foundation said, "AI is not just reshaping industries, it's redefining the future of work. Our collaboration with Capgemini, under the AI for Skilling initiative, reflects our shared vision of an inclusive digital economy, where marginalized youth have the opportunity to participate and break barriers to AI access. By enabling future-ready skills and focusing on foundational, core-work skills, we are investing in the potential of India's youth to fully embrace evolving digital opportunities."
To ensure holistic development, the initiative extended beyond technical training and included expert sessions conducted by industry professionals, as well as aptitude-building modules, and awareness programs. Real-world exposure was also facilitated through corporate volunteer engagement and industry visits, helping learners gain insights into workplace expectations and the professional culture of the technology sector.
CO-EXISTENCE OF HUMANS AND AI
Persistent Systems is of the view that collaboration between human expertise and AI is a "force multiplier". As GenAI becomes integral to business workflows, it's driving faster decisions, greater scale, and more dynamic operations. In fact, according to McKinsey, 71 per cent of business leaders now report using GenAI in at least one function, up from 65 per cent in early 2024.
"We follow a human-in-the-loop approach, where employees are involved in training models, prompt engineering, and validating outputs, ensuring AI remains contextually relevant, ethical, unbiased, and aligned with business goals. Our focus is on outcome-based learning. From customer interview coaching to internal mobility programs, we help employees apply AI-first thinking to solve real problems, bridging skill development with delivery impact," says Bhat.
He says that across industries, roles are being redefined. Developers are moving beyond manual coding toward solution design, while business teams are using AI to personalize experiences and accelerate decisions. This shift empowers talent to focus on higher-value, creative, and strategic work. Ultimately, AI is elevating human potential, and that synergy is shaping more agile, future-ready workforces capable of delivering stronger outcomes in a dynamic, technology-first world.
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