Democratising AI Skills for All: The Story of Yuva AI Bharat, the Gen AI Skill Catalyst in India
India is entering a pivotal phase in its AI journey, and the Yuva AI Bharat: GenAI Skill Catalyst is designed to help prepare the country’s workforce for this shift.
Led by SmartBridge and supported by the IndiaAI Mission and MeitY, the programme delivers Trailhead-powered, hands-on AI training to students and professionals, ensuring access to high-quality, industry-ready skills. Its focus on Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions is helping expand India’s talent pipeline for the agentic era.
This feature brings together insights from Salesforce’s Christophe Conraets, SVP, Technical Audience Relations, Florian Michel, Senior Director Global Workforce Development and Vivek Abraham, Senior Director, Policy and SmartBridge’s Founder & CEO, Amarendar Katkam on the programme’s purpose, impact and long-term vision.
How does Trailhead extend its global lifelong learning vision through Yuva AI Bharat to build a connected, AI-ready workforce?
Christophe Conraets: Trailhead plays a vital role today as developers, admins, and aspiring professionals navigate the agentic revolution. As Salesforce’s unified destination for learning, workforce development, and community, it brings lifelong learning to a global scale. Through Yuva AI Bharat, this vision extends to India by equipping learners with hands-on technical skills, guided practice and real-world projects. The programme connects participants to a vibrant global Trailblazer ecosystem and helps them build the confidence and expertise needed to contribute to an AI-ready workforce.
As Salesforce pioneers the agentic AI era, how will empowering one million Trailblazers as Agentblazers strengthen global workforce readiness and spotlight India’s growing role in the AI economy?
Christophe Conraets: Empowering one million Trailblazers to become Agentblazers reflects Salesforce’s vision to equip the global technical community to build, deploy, and scale AI-first solutions with confidence. India’s dynamic developer and admin ecosystem stands at the heart of this movement, shaping how agentic AI comes to life in real-world applications. Through Trailhead and vibrant community-led programmes, Salesforce is cultivating practitioners who drive enterprise transformation and position India as a cornerstone of the global Agentforce revolution.
Beyond numbers, how does the initiative act as a strategic multiplier for India’s AI ecosystem and convert skills into real economic value for partners?
Florian Michel: The Initiative acts as a strategic force multiplier by turning skilling into real-world value. It brings together learners, mentors, academia and industry to create a connected ecosystem for AI innovation. By combining Salesforce’s Trailhead learning platform, SmartBridge’s hands-on mentorship and the IndiaAI Mission’s national vision, the programme ensures learners are equipped to apply their skills in meaningful ways.
This collaborative model strengthens India’s AI talent pipeline, supports partner needs and helps position the country as a leader in responsible AI growth.
How is SmartBridge using technology and partnerships to deliver high-quality AI education to Tier 2 and Tier 3 learners?
Amarendar Katkam: SmartBridge ensures high-quality AI education reaches Tier 2 and Tier 3 learners through a strong network built with Salesforce across more than 3,000 institutions. State partners such as State partners such as the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC), Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) and the Uttar Pradesh Department of Technical Education amplify this reach, promoting the programmes across their ecosystems and enabling deep access in remote regions.
Academic approvals from universities including Rajasthan Technical University (Rajasthan), Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (Uttar Pradesh), and Visvesvaraya Technical University (Karnataka) allow colleges to offer these courses for credit at scale. Cloud-based learning, hands-on labs and digital modules ensure consistent, engaging training for all learners, regardless of location.
How is SmartBridge combining mentorship, modular learning and digital credentials to build a scalable, future-ready learning model?
Amarendar Katkam: SmartBridge delivers a hybrid learning model that pairs Salesforce Trailhead’s self-paced, industry-aligned modules with the SkillWallet platform’s mentoring and support system. Learners build competencies through Trailhead, earning Skill Badges and AgentBlazer ranks, while SkillWallet sustains engagement through mentoring channels, AMA sessions and an AI-powered support agent.
Digital credentials issued through SkillWallet create a verifiable skills profile for every learner, making the entire experience scalable, consistent and future-ready.
How does Yuva AI Bharat align with India’s AI strategy and help democratise access to future-ready skills?
Vivek Abraham: Salesforce’s leadership in enterprise agentic AI supports India’s rise as a global talent hub by equipping learners with practical, job-ready skills that are in high demand across industries. By preparing students and professionals for real-world agentic applications and linking them to India’s wider partner and customer ecosystem, the programme helps close the country’s emerging talent gap.
The GenAI Bharat Initiative strongly aligns with the Government of India’s ambition to democratise AI. It provides equitable access to high-quality, industry-relevant learning at scale and supports national priorities across agriculture, financial services, healthcare and education. Talent sits at the core of India’s AI vision, and this initiative contributes directly to that ambition by enabling responsible adoption and strengthening India’s leadership in the global AI economy.
How is Salesforce extending this skilling model beyond India, and what impact will expansion into Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have on South Asia’s AI talent landscape?
Florian Michel: As South Asia enters an AI-powered future, Salesforce is extending this high-quality, locally relevant and globally recognised credentials model beyond India, with plans to replicate this strategic multiplier effect in Bangladesh, Philippines and Sri Lanka.
This expansion will empower emerging talent across the region with agentic AI capabilities, cultivate the next wave of Agentblazers and position South Asia as a fast-growing force in the global AI economy.
In sum, the initiative is laying the foundation for a South Asia where India’s talent leads the way, shaping a confident, AI-powered region ready to thrive on the global stage.
