Demand for upskilling of IT sector is increasing in 2022 as new technology concepts such as Web 3.0 and metaverse take centre stage, creating new job opportunities for developers, engineers globally.

Reports suggest that the intent to upskill has already touched a record high this year with 79 percent professionals, including fresher’s, planning to upskill themselves, as jobs in newer domains emerge.

According to the reports Facebook is hiring 10,000 skilled professionals in Europe to help build its metaverse vision. This demonstrates an innate need for education and development of practical skill sets for India to get upskilled in technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and blockchain – critical in the world of metaverse.

Siva Prasad Nanduri, business head, TeamLease Digital says, “Metaverse is in its nascent stage; however, with intersection of AI, VR, blockchain, AR and 5G, it will be the next big thing in the digital world. Metaverse will create the most significant employment opportunities and redefine the future. Upskilling in domains such as Web 3.0, metaverse, NFTs will drive growth in the industry.”

“While it’s an emerging area, large IT players have made initial investments on virtual laboratories and gearing up to get a large market share through the opportunity provided by metaverse,”adds Nanduri.

Sarita Digumarti, chief learning officer, UNext Learning says, “we can certainly expect to see twice the increase in demand for upskilling among professionals and individuals in these new technologies than what we witnessed in 2021.”

Nirmal Singh, founder and CEO, Wheebox says, “currently, there is lack of curriculum development around Web 3.0, so new graduates joining the workforce have little knowledge. Enterprises should anchor upskilling their workforce and the government must prioritize funding for upskilling initiatives in the emerging tech space to leapfrog ahead.”