The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and IBM will 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 enhance select NPTEL courses such as data science and AI with technical inputs that will help provide students with a current industry perspective.

Free technical sessions will also be conducted for NPTEL partner colleges through IBM’s local chapters and for the IIT-Madras’s online BSc degree programme. These sessions will be made available on NPTEL and IIT Madras’ online platforms.

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 and IoT. At the same time, the skills gap of India’s student community continues to widen. The collaboration will help equip students with 21st-century skill sets that can build new career paths.” The International Labour Organization estimates that India’s skill deficit will reach 29 million by 2030. A recent IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) study found that approximately 30 per cent of Gen Z and millennial working professionals plan to enrol in a formal degree, certification, or badging program in 2021. Andrew Thangaraj, coordinator, NPTEL, IIT Madras, said, “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. The move will help bring an industry perspective to the technically rich courses.”

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. It has also collaborated with NPTEL to offer a 12-week online course focused on blockchain architecture, design and use cases.