{"id":12933,"date":"2026-01-30T18:17:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T12:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=12933"},"modified":"2026-01-30T18:31:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T13:01:53","slug":"the-power-of-access-how-ai-and-skills-are-opening-new-futures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/in\/news\/stories\/the-power-of-access-how-ai-and-skills-are-opening-new-futures\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Access: How AI and Skills Are Opening New Futures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How recognising talent early is shaping India\u2019s future workforce<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across India, young people arrive in classrooms with intelligence, ambition, and drive. What shapes their futures is rarely a lack of talent. More often, it is a lack of access to the skills, exposure, and confidence that turn potential into opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Salesforce<\/a>, this understanding guides a long-term commitment to expanding access to high-quality education and future-ready skills, creating pathways of opportunity across the country. The focus is not only on learning, but on recognising untapped talent early, building social capital, and connecting young people to meaningful career pathways in a rapidly evolving economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This commitment is brought to life through long-term partnerships with organisations such as Futuristic Lab on Wheels (FLOW)<\/a>, Wadhwani AI<\/a>, alongside ecosystem partners including the TNS Foundation<\/a> and the Roots & Shoots programme with the Jane Goodall Institute of India<\/a> and 1M1B<\/a>, each supporting a different stage of a young person\u2019s journey from exposure to employability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Talent First Meets Opportunity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For many students, the journey begins with exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the Futuristic Lab on Wheels (FLOW)<\/a> initiative, advanced STEM education is brought directly into underserved and rural schools. Mobile labs equipped with robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, AR and VR, and 3D printing transform familiar classrooms into spaces of exploration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For nearly 9,900 students from 33 districts of Telangana, FLOW<\/a> provides a first hands-on encounter with technologies shaping the future of work. These experiences do more than introduce tools. They shift perspective. Students begin to engage with technology as creators, not observers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This early exposure helps address long-standing barriers such as limited infrastructure, lack of trained educators, and minimal access to hands-on learning. By bringing learning to students, FLOW<\/a> helps remove constraints at the point where curiosity first takes shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

When access is thoughtfully designed and learners are trusted with relevant learning and real opportunity, skills become a bridge to confidence, careers, and economic mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arundhati Bhattacharya, President & CEO, Salesforce, South Asia <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

From Curiosity to Capability<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of the current AI revolution, Salesforce is committed to ensuring that communities are not left behind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wadhwani AI<\/a> Readiness programme supports students through a structured, 12-month journey that builds foundational AI skills alongside real-world exposure and clear pathways into STEM and AI careers. With a strong focus on increasing girls\u2019 participation, the programme reinforces the importance of inclusion in innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 2,000 students, learning unfolds through bootcamps, guided projects, and paid internships. Teachers participate alongside students, helping embed skills development within learning environments that extend beyond the programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, artificial intelligence becomes a practical language for problem-solving. Students gain confidence not only in technical ability, but in their sense of belonging within the technology ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skills That Lead to Livelihoods<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As India\u2019s economy evolves, the demand for sustainability-aligned skills<\/a> and green jobs continues to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Green Skills and AI Academy is supported through Salesforce philanthropic investments, with 1M1B Foundation<\/a> as a grantee implementing Green Skills and AI centres. The Academy prepares learners for roles at the intersection of technology, climate action and economic growth by leveraging AI-enabled skill assessments and green job mapping to connect learning directly to emerging employment opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative aims to train 100,000 youth and support 15,000 individuals in accessing green jobs, contributing to India\u2019s long-term Net Zero goals. Through grassroots centres and locally relevant learning models, participants gain both technical skills and clarity on how their capabilities translate into livelihoods.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n