Information Technology continues to be a sunrise sector for India. Contributing almost 10% of GDP, the sector is witnessing a CAGR of 8% employing around 5 Mn people. Several studies have indicated that the Indian IT sector is expected to double its output to USD 500 Bn by 2030 from the current level of USD 245 Bn (2022-23).
The IT, Electronics and Space sectors are also undergoing substantial changes all around the world. With the emergence of the fourth industrial revolution characterised by the convergence of the digital, physical, and biological world, the world is witnessing a digital revolution driven by a host of new technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Blockchains, Cloud Computing, Quantum computing, 5G etc.
Kerala has always been a front-runner in the promotion, adoption and usage of Information Technology. It has one of the largest user bases for internet connectivity and mobile density in the county. Kerala’s digital ecosystem is supported by a strong government commitment to digital transformation, a well-educated workforce, a growing start-up scene and strong Industry participation in the economy.
The state government has created a strong base and has launched several initiatives to promote digital adoption and innovation. The highlights of the key initiatives are:
Business Infrastructure & Ecosystem Development: A vibrant Business Ecosystem is created with Kerala IT Parks leading the provisioning of Business infrastructure. Over 150K direct employment is provided by the three parks of Kerala.
Start-up Ecosystem Development: Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) is the first such entity in the country that provides end-to-end support to start-ups in Kerala. It offers various services including Coworking spaces, incubation, funding, mentorship and market connect. Over 4000+ Startups are actively engaged in the KSUM ecosystem.
Digital Connectivity: Enabled by Kerala Fibre Optic Network (KFON), a high-speed broadband network that provides high bandwidth internet access to all households and Institutions in Kerala. Public Wi-Fi aimed at providing Mobility for connectivity is another important step towards digital inclusion and adaptability.
E-Governance: The Kerala State IT Mission, which drives the e-Governance, in the state, has made substantial strides in providing highly efficient e-governance, integrating various departments through technology, as well as providing seamless technology-enabled citizen services in the state. Kerala became the first fully e-governed state in the country, in 2023.
KSPACE: was created to attract and Nurture Private enterprises and Startups for the growth of the Space and Hi-Tech Industry in Kerala. It has established collaboration agreements with the Ministry of MSME and ISRO and planned to create common facilities that will provide growth opportunities for budding entrepreneurs and small and medium businesses.
Promotion of Research and Innovation: Application Research and Advanced Innovation or Research leading to IP are cornerstones of a knowledge-based Industry like Information Technology. To promote such areas, Kerala Govt has established India’s first Digital University in the state (DUK). Post-graduation, Doctoral and post-doctoral programs in Digital Sciences and technology are offered to the Students. Apart from the education activities, DUK has established partnerships with the Industry in establishing ten R&D labs, six development centres and four Innovation Centres.
Stakeholder-Friendly IT Policy: Kerala has been amongst the first few states to introduce a Policy for IT (the first policy in 1998) and has been upgrading it on a continued basis. Kerala’s IT policy has been comprehensive in supporting Citizens, Businesses, Startups, Talent pool enhancement, and Government alike. Ease of doing Business, improved Citizen services, speed of governance, Job creation and Entrepreneurship promotion have been the core focus of the IT Policies.
Nurturing Talent for New Age Jobs: The ICT Sector continues to be the biggest employment generator for graduated unemployed youths and being knowledge-based, the IT Industry always looked upon a skilled talent pool. The Kerala government made substantial investments in improving the talent pipeline through various skills development initiatives. Organisations such as ICT Academy, ICFOSS, Digital University Kerala, and CDIT are involved in providing various skill programs to support the ICT Industry demands.
About ICT Academy of Kerala
ICT Academy of Kerala (ICTAK) is a Public Private Partnered (PPP) Social enterprise conceived by Govt of India and created by Govt. of Kerala in partnership with leading Industry partners such as TCS, UST, IBS, QuEST Global. It is supported by other leading organisations such as Infosys, EY, Tata Elxsi etc. ICT Academy of Kerala is also provided with a Grant-in-aid from the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeITY) for its setup.
ICT Academy is mandated to provide skills training in emerging technology for the youth of Kerala, thereby enabling them for jobs. Apart from training, ICTAK is involved in digital awareness training, building ICT solutions, and program management of large projects.
Training Methodology
With vast experience in dealing with the young generation and their learning abilities, ICTAK has developed its own copyrighted training methodology to provide as much personalisation with scale as possible. The PERLTMM ethodology of ICTAK has been utilising multi-level learning channels to enable candidates to learn through their channel of comfort thus providing a level of personalisation. The channels include self-learning, assisted learning, learning through peer collaboration, and learning by experience.
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Training Matrix
ICT Academy has been providing training and technology development services in various advanced technology areas through its own source base and through extended partnerships with leading Industry partners. Various domains where our capabilities span across are categorised under four quadrants as below:
(a) Digital Technologies: These domains fall under the software engineering streams with a focus on new-age technologies such as AI, Data Analytics, Full Stack Development etc.
(b) Digital Infrastructure: This quadrant focuses on hardware or related domains including IOT, Robotics, 3D Printing and other modern technologies.
(c) Enterprise Systems: This includes training module creation on the Core domain products (Such as CRM, and ERP) that will help students transition to other Business domains such as Banking or Manufacturing.
(d) Workforce Enablement: These are generic programs that are required for any new joiner to be able to perform their role effectively. Training modules include Remote working etiquette, Communication skills, basics of project management etc.
Achievements
(1) Over 100K students trained in multiple domains over the last 9 years of its operations
(2) Increased subscriptions from educational institutions to the Academic Membership program – from 55 in the year 2014 to 268 colleges in 2023
(3) Consistent quality rating of above 4.2 / 5 on all the training programs conducted by ICTAK.
(4) Placements of up to 80 % for courses such as Full-stack development
Being a Government & industrypartnered entity with a not-for-profit construct, the mandate of ICTAK has always been on transitioning young jobseekers to true professionals of the future. ICTAK has been making significant contributions to fulfilling the aspirations of the youths of Kerala.
Views expressed by: Santhosh Kurup, Chief Executive Officer, ICT Academy Kerala
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