Learning platform byteXL on Monday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft to transform educational institutes in Tier 2 and 3 cities across the nation and cater to the 360-degree developmental needs of its students.

The collaboration is aligned with the national vision of providing one crore internship opportunities by 2025.

Under this partnership, byteXL will spearhead the training program and conduct the comprehensive programs, Microsoft will support the endeavor with necessary infrastructure, including sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI) Labs that provide contemporary programs for specialised education.

Students from this program will have access to Microsoft Azure and AI certifications, along with industry approved training modules. byteXL’s role in this collaboration will amplify Microsoft’s global skills initiative, which has already provided digital skills to more than 42 million people worldwide.

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, Karun Tadepalli, CEO and co-founder, byteXL, said “This MoU with Microsoft is a critical step in enabling a developmental ecosystem for youth in India’s Tier 2 and 3 cities. The collaboration aims to transform technical education and reimagine the skills ecosystem through a robust and career intensive curriculum.”

According to various industry reports, in the past 10 years (2012-2022) the Employability rate of graduating engineers is less than 8% and 93% of the graduating engineers in India lack the required IT skills to work in IT companies.

In a statement Indrani Choudhury, Chief Learning Officer, Microsoft India said, “Digital technologies will be key in addressing the skills challenge that we are facing today. Democratizing access to skilling with a focus on employability, especially in Tier 2 and 3 cities of India, can empower large talent pools for the digital economy. At Microsoft, we believe we can combine the best in technology with strong collaborations like byteXL to better serve young people and create more opportunities for them.”