IBM and The Karnataka Vocational Training and Skill Development Corp. (KVTSDC), an organization within the Department of Labor in India's fastest growing state, announced a new partnership to help millions of citizens find work using their mobile devices.
Once created, this technology could be applied in emerging economies around the world.
In India today, only seven percent of the population has access to the Web, but mobile phones and services are becoming increasingly affordable and reliable, creating the emergence of a Mobile Web and opening the door for citizens to access important government services through their phones.
Recognizing this opportunity, IBM and KVTSDC will team up to develop a new cloud computing platform will allow job seekers and job providers to connect, expand searches and cross reference candidates, get training and certifications, understand emerging job trends and share information all through their mobile devices and in their local languages.
"The Karnataka state government is a pioneer in skill development in the country. Our goal is to empower our citizens and create employment opportunities in the state by creating a conducive environment for all the stakeholders. This platform will help us expand our horizon and reach people in the most remote parts of Karnataka," said Dr. Vishnukanth Chatpalli, Executive Director of KVTSDC. "We are glad that IBM, one of the largest technology companies in the world, has partnered with us in this first of its kind endeavor."
The first phase of the project will be implemented in two districts, Mandya and Bijapur, and will be expanded to eight more districts in a second phase. Karnataka is the first state to set up a skill commission and take the lead in the government of India's objective of having 500 million skilled people in India by 2022.
"IBM's vision is to apply technologies that enable skills and education transformation and economic uplift in growing economies around the world," said Paul Bloom, Chief Technology Officer - Telecommunications, IBM Research. "This project is a powerful example of how we can take advantage of societal trends and infuse them with technology to solve real problems in growth economies.