New Delhi – Samsung, India’s largest consumer electronics brand, has launched the second season of its national skilling programme – Samsung Innovation Campus – designed to upskill the youth in future-tech domains such as AI, IoT, Big Data, and Coding & Programming. Samsung Innovation Campus aims to upskill youth aged 18-25 years in future technologies and enhance their employability.

The programme strengthens Samsung’s commitment to being a strong partner and contributor to the India growth story. It is also designed to support Government of India initiatives such as Skill India and Digital India to create the right opportunities for the youth.

A Memorandum of Understanding to train 3,500 students across India has been signed between Samsung and the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI), earlier this week.

This year the programme goes beyond just skilling to include more exciting opportunities for the students. The national toppers from each domain will receive a cash award of INR 1 Lakh along with an opportunity to visit Samsung facilities in Delhi/NCR. The visits to the facilities will provide the students with an opportunity to interact with and receive mentorship from the leadership team at Samsung. The national course toppers will also get exciting Samsung products such as Samsung Galaxy Buds and Samsung Galaxy Smartwatches.

“Samsung has been a committed partner to the nation’s growth over the last 28 years of its presence in India. Our vision has always been aligned with the Government of India’s objectives of skilling the youth and empowering them with professional growth opportunities. Through Samsung Innovation Campus, we are building a platform of skill-based learning that would upskill the youth, create job opportunities in future -tech domains, and effect meaningful change”, said Mr. JB Park, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia”.

ESSCI is a national level skilling organization promoted by industry associations under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development, and works as a sector skill council under National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). It will provide on-board local training through its nationwide network of approved training and education partners. ESSCI will also look at opportunities to provide the courses to beneficiaries in India’s smaller towns, where students do not have easy access to the best future-tech education.

“ESSCI is delighted to partner with Samsung for a CSR initiative that strengthens the skills ecosystem in the country. Samsung Innovation Campus is designed in perfect alignment with our objectives to provide skilling and requisite knowledge on future-tech domains to the nation’s youth and especially those who are less-privileged. We are optimistic that the programme will equip students with technical knowhow and make them job-ready”, said Dr. Abhilasha Gaur, Chief Operating Officer (Officiating CEO), ESSCI.

During the programme, participants will receive instructor-led blended classroom and online training through approved training and education partners of ESSCI across the country.

Youth enrolled for the programme will undergo classroom and online training and complete their hands-on capstone project work in their selected technology areas in AI, IoT, Big Data and Coding & Programming.

They will also be imparted soft skills training to enhance their employability. The participants will be mobilized through ESSCI’s training and education partners across India. The approach includes a combination of offline and online learning, immersive hackathons and capstone projects, as well as expert mentorship provided by Samsung employees.

The curriculum structure varies depending on the chosen course track. For instance, participants opting for the AI course will immerse themselves in 270 hours of theoretical training and complete 80 hours of project work. Meanwhile, those pursuing the IoT or Big Data courses will undergo 160 hours of training, supplemented by 80 hours of practical project work. Participants in the Coding & Programming course will engage in 80 hours of training and participate in a 3-day Hackathon event.

The programme will span eight educational institutions across four states. In the northern region, training centres will be established in Lucknow and Gorakhpur, besides two in Delhi NCR. In the Southern region, covering states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, training centres will be located in Chennai and Sriperumbudur, besides two in Bengaluru.

The programme is scheduled to commence during April 2024, and the specially designed six-month course will end during October 2024. The course toppers will be announced in November 2024.

During 2023, Samsung Innovation Campus successfully trained 3000 students in future-tech courses. Samsung’s involvement in this initiative underscores its commitment to nation building through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in India. It complements Samsung’s other CSR endeavours, including Samsung Solve for Tomorrow. Through these initiatives, Samsung aims to empower future leaders of India by providing them with the necessary education and skills to drive meaningful change.