New Delhi, India – IBM has announced a plan to equip five million learners across India with skills in AI, cybersecurity, and quantum computing by 2030, as part of its broader workforce development efforts.
The commitment will be delivered through IBM SkillsBuild and is intended to widen access to advanced digital capabilities while improving employability among students and adult learners.
Under the programme, the company will scale education in AI and other emerging technologies across schools, universities, and vocational training environments.
IBM will also work with national bodies, including the All India Council for Technical Education, to support applied learning pathways, academic staff development, curriculum alignment, as well as student-focused activities such as hackathons and internship opportunities.
“India possesses the talent and ambition to lead the world in AI & quantum. Fluency in frontier technologies will define economic competitiveness, scientific progress, and societal transformation,” Arvind Krishna, IBM chairman, president, and chief executive officer, stated.
He added, “By democratizing access to advanced skills, we are enabling the youth and students to build, innovate, and accelerate India’s growth.”
The initiative places a strong emphasis on early-stage education, with IBM contributing to the development of an AI curriculum. Supporting materials, including project-based learning resources, teaching guides and explanatory modules, are designed to introduce computational thinking and responsible AI concepts at an early stage, while helping educators deliver technology education more effectively and at scale.
Central to the effort is IBM SkillsBuild, a digital learning platform that provides access to more than 1,000 courses covering AI, cybersecurity, quantum computing, cloud technologies, data, sustainability, and workplace skills.
The platform supports learners, educators and institutions worldwide and has reached more than 16 million participants to date. The expansion in India forms part of IBM’s wider objective to train 30 million people globally by the end of the decade, with the country identified as a key contributor to achieving that target.
