Jaipur, December, 2019: IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced that it has signed Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with The Department of Education, Government of Rajasthan which envisages to introduce 'IBM STEM for Girls' program across 306 Secondary/ Sr. secondary schools that proposes to advance the skills and careers of girls and boys in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields in a phased manner stretched  over 3 year (November 2019 to May 2022). The collaboration is part of a three-year programme between IBM and Department of Education, Govt. of Rajasthan to increase the participation of girls and boys in STEM careers.

The demand for a highly qualified workforce in India is quickly increasing with the acceleration of emerging technologies like Cloud and AI. The ‘IBM STEM for Girls’ program visualises a comprehensive approach that builds technical capabilities as well as life and self-actualization skills.

'STEM for Girls' is an IBM Corporate Social Responsibility initiative primarily aimed at improving education-to-work and career pathways for girls who are studying in Government schools. The program includes imparting training in digital literacy, coding and technology skills; 21st century skills and career development, with an aim to enable girls’ empowerment and increase their interest in STEM education and careers.

“With changing dynamics of the economy and the workplace, skilling and lifelong learning is very important to be relevant.  We look forward to fruitful collaboration with IBM in making a significant impact in preparing our next generation who are now studying in schools for the opportunities of the future’’ said SmtManjuRajpal, Principal Secretary, School Education and Bhasha, Govt of Rajasthan.

“If we want India’s talent base to compete in the global economy it becomes imperative to upskill them. Our collaboration with Rajasthan government will help students to better align with market shifts and industry needs. IBM has been at the forefront and investing in the empowerment of the students to make them future ready and increase the talent pool,” said Rumi MallickMitra, Head, Corporate Social Responsibility, IBM India Pvt. Ltd.

IBM new collar skilling initiatives in India also include:

1.      A two-year Advanced Diploma Programme in emerging technologies created in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, which will be available to 100 Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), including 50 all-women ITIs, over the next three years. IBM will also offer internships of up to five months to some students, presenting an opportunity for them to further deepen their skills and understanding in emerging fields such as Cloud and AI. Currently 40 ITI’s have been enlisted to initiate the 2 years diploma program in this academic year

2.   As part of IBM’s ongoing engagement with the Government of India targeting young innovators through the Atal Tinkering Labs initiative, some 4,000 mentors and 600,000 mentees will benefit from a unique AI-powered Mentor Platform. Developed with the IBM Watson cognitive engine, the platform monitors mentor and mentee interactions to provide personalized support to those using the platform. IBM has thus far on-boarded 2,500 mentors, including 300 IBMers, to this platform by collaborating with the national Mentor of Change mission.