IBM said it is in negotiations with a number of Indian states to expand its 'SkillsBuild' initiative.

The company has revealed a global initiative to give new skills to 30 million individuals of all ages by 2030, in order to prepare them for future occupations.

IBM had announced a road map with more than 170 new academic and industrial relationships to help them reach their goal.

For corporate social responsibility, IBM India and South Asia is in charge. IBM has partnered with various state governments for their skills programs, according to Manoj Balachandran, including the state governments of Goa, Sikkim, AP, Telangana, and now Haryana, as part of the 'SkillsBuild' project.

Through its implementing partners, IBM said it will continue to work with the Ministry of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (DST), CBSE, Skill Development Councils in Goa, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, NPTEL-IIT-Madras, and others in India to upskill youth from all over the country.

"We're in talks with a number of other states about forming relationships. We have inked MoUs with 11 state governments for the STEM for Girls program, where we are currently training over 300,000 students, in addition to SkillsBuild”, says Balachandran.

For its talent development program, the company teamed with the Haryana State Board of Technical Education and the Uttar Pradesh SCERT (State Council of Educational Research and Training) last month.

Earlier this year, Goa government and IBM teamed together to deliver online training courses to help students, job seekers, and entrepreneurs in the state better their technical and professional skills.

IBM will collaborate with the Director of Technical Education in Goa and implementation partner REACHA to put this into effect (Research and Extension Association for Conservation Horticulture and Agro Forest). The program would promote the development of skills, particularly among rural entrepreneurs and other government stakeholders. Through the IBM SkillsBuild initiative, it will incorporate industry-relevant educational content.

"IBM has committed to teaching new skills to 30 million individuals by 2030. This will help to democratize opportunity, close the skills gap, and equip new generations of workers with the tools they need to better themselves and society”, says IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna.