India has stepped up efforts to prepare its workforce for the rapidly changing Artificial Intelligence landscape with the launch of a new Agentic AI skilling initiative by the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) in partnership with Intel India.
The initiative was unveiled during a National Leadership Dialogue on “Preparing the Future Workforce for the Agentic AI Era”, organised by NIELIT under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, in collaboration with Intel India at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.
National Dialogue Focuses on Future of AI and Employment
The leadership dialogue brought together senior representatives from government, foreign missions, academia, industry and the skilling ecosystem to examine how the rapid development of AI is transforming education, employment and workforce requirements.
The discussions focused on the growing influence of Agentic AI, a new generation of AI systems capable of reasoning, planning and carrying out complex tasks under human supervision. Participants discussed how India’s education and training systems can adapt to ensure that students, educators and working professionals are prepared for an increasingly AI-driven economy.
Key areas discussed included emerging technology skills, industry-oriented curricula, experiential learning, faculty preparedness, AI-enabled learning environments and stronger cooperation between government, academia and industry.
CBFC Chairperson Highlights Need for Continuous Learning
Shri Shashi Shekhar Vempati, Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), attended the programme as Chief Guest. He stressed the importance of developing a workforce capable of adapting to rapid technological change.
Vempati underlined the role of skills, employability and continuous learning as AI begins to reshape the nature of jobs and workplace responsibilities.
He congratulated NIELIT and Intel India for their initiative to democratise access to Agentic AI learning. He also called for long-term skilling pathways that combine foundational knowledge and emerging technology skills with practical exposure, industry case studies and real-world datasets.
He emphasised that sustained cooperation among government, industry, academic institutions and skilling organisations would be essential to ensuring that India’s young population is equipped not only for today’s employment opportunities but also for emerging jobs of the future.
NIELIT and Intel India Join Forces on AI Skills
Dr. Madan Mohan Tripathi, Director General of NIELIT, said the rapid development of AI was creating both opportunities and new demands for India’s education and skilling ecosystem.
He highlighted NIELIT’s national mandate in electronics, information technology and emerging technologies, saying the institution is focused on enabling learners and educators to participate in the next phase of technological transformation.
According to Tripathi, the partnership combines NIELIT’s nationwide reach in skilling with Intel India’s technology expertise and industry perspective. The collaboration is expected to help take Agentic AI education closer to institutions and learners across India.
Government Stresses Strong AI Talent Pipeline
Shri Sudeep Shrivastava, COO of the IndiaAI Mission and Joint Secretary, MeitY, highlighted the government’s vision of developing a strong and inclusive AI ecosystem while advancing the democratisation of Sovereign AI.
He stressed the importance of creating a robust AI talent pipeline to support India’s growing digital economy. Industry-led training, AI-focused educational programmes and digital learning initiatives, he said, can play a major role in expanding AI capabilities across educational institutions.
The dialogue also highlighted the importance of AI talent development, AI Data Labs and stronger industry-academia partnerships. Such initiatives can provide students, researchers and professionals with practical exposure to emerging AI technologies.
Intel Calls Human Readiness Critical in Agentic AI Era
Ms. Shweta Khurana, Senior Director, Asia Pacific & Japan, International Government Affairs, Intel, said AI is moving beyond assistive tools toward agentic systems and eventually physical intelligence.
She noted that this transition could fundamentally influence education, employment, jobs and industries. In such an environment, human readiness will become increasingly important, requiring people to develop skills, adaptability and judgement to work effectively with increasingly capable AI systems.
Khurana also emphasised that investment in AI skills can strengthen economic resilience, widen opportunities and support technological sovereignty. She described the NIELIT collaboration as an important step toward turning that vision into practical action.
Two New Agentic AI Programmes Launched
A major outcome of the dialogue was the launch of the NIELIT–Intel India Agentic AI Skilling Initiative. The initiative is designed to expand access to industry-aligned learning opportunities and support the development of India’s future-ready AI talent ecosystem.
Two programmes have been introduced under the initiative.
Agentic AI for Everyone will introduce learners to workflow automation, AI agents and multi-agent systems. The programme is designed to demonstrate how agentic technologies can improve productivity, support business transformation and strengthen decision-making. Learners will receive practical exposure to designing and governing AI-powered workflows and agentic systems through no-code platforms.
Engineering Agentic AI Systems will focus on the design, development and deployment of AI-powered agentic systems. Participants will gain practical experience with no-code and low-code platforms as well as code-based frameworks. The curriculum covers areas such as agent architecture, tool integration, orchestration, memory and deployment, with an emphasis on building scalable and production-ready solutions.
Building India’s Future-Ready AI Workforce
The National Leadership Dialogue and the new skilling initiative mark a significant effort to strengthen cooperation among government, academia, industry and the wider skilling ecosystem.
As AI capabilities continue to advance, the demand for professionals who can combine technical expertise with adaptability, critical judgement and human-centred skills is expected to grow.
Through their collaboration, NIELIT and Intel India aim to make practical, industry-aligned Agentic AI learning more accessible to learners and institutions across the country. The initiative is intended to help build a skilled workforce capable of adopting emerging technologies and contributing to India’s next phase of AI-led growth.
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