-By Sriparna Raha
CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility is essential nowadays. And CSR Digital Skills Training is a part of it. Digital Education is the most important thing right now, as a form of formal education. According to a NASSCOM report, India needs nine times the number of people with digital skills by 2025. However, millions of young people like us, especially those in rural areas, as well as women, are often unaware of the most basic computer concepts. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs are beginning to fill this gap.
Many companies are now partnering with NGOs to deliver training in digital skills. People who join these programs are not only gaining job opportunities but also they are gaining confidence, identifying gender equality issues, and providing communities with an opportunity to develop in a digi-tech world.
At Anudip Foundation, we are seeing how digital skills training can change people’s lives by opening doors that had previously been closed.
What is CSR digital skills training?
CSR digital skills training is basically when companies pay for programs to help ordinary people learn about technology. These programs typically have:
- Basic computer skills
- Advanced coding and AI training
- Entrepreneurship training
- Soft skills, like communication, self-belief.
The objective is very clear: to support ordinary people in building a better future. Training does not just prepare them to find employment. It also gives support to entire communities to adapt to any digital economy.
Why is CSR digital skills training important now?
We are entering the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where technology such as automation, artificial intelligence, and data is on every side and corner. If people do not have digital skills, there is a danger they will miss out on:
- Jobs in IT and services industries.
- Gaining access to Government schemes, as they are mostly online now.
- The ability to sell their products/services through e-commerce.
When businesses fund digital training, they can help create jobs, bridge the digital gap, and create equal opportunities for all. Women in rural India run various other activities that mean they have a safe space to learn and make their first steps towards independence.
How do NGOs provide job-relevant CSR Digital Skills training support?
While companies provide funding and training material, NGOs are the ones who go out into communities and are the connectors. They have an important part to play. NGOs:
- Know the local issues, such as cultural issues and insufficient access to the internet.
- Have established relationships of trust with families that allow girls and women to be included in programs.
- Provide mentoring and support post-training.
At Anudip Foundation, the partnership we have developed with large corporates like J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo, and Accenture to deliver AI and IT skills training in rural and conflict areas by way of strong community connection, and corporate sponsorship. It is this combination of institutional sponsorship and trust at the community level that will allow programs to be effective, impactful, and sustainable.
How is CSR Digital Skills Training related to Gender Equality?
The most significant impact that CSR digital skills training provides is gender equity. There are many challenges for women in India, one of which is limited mobility, stigma, and unsafe public places. Corporate digital centers help reduce these barriers:
- They provide training that is close to where women live, meaning there are less travelling implications.
- They provide all women training cohort, which allows for a trusted and safe space to learn.
iii. They ignite aspirations for women to apply for IT and AI jobs that they may never have had an opportunity to even think about applying for.
Some of the results we are starting to see are:
- Women can become economically independent
- Families are supporting girls’ education
iii. Trained women go on to mentor other women,
For example, Insha Amin from Jammu and Kashmir: “I felt directionless, as if the future was shrouded in darkness. But Anudip Foundation lit a lamp in that darkness. Today I am earning, helping my family, and I am confident about my future.”
Real Life Impact Stories
Youth in Jammu & Kashmir: A graduate entered the IT sector after digital training funded by CSR.
Women in West Bengal: Learners who were trained in e-commerce have started their own small start up online businesses.
School dropouts in Odisha: A group of young people who are now coding have secured entry-level jobs in tech.
These examples show that CSR programs do not only teach skills, they create the changemakers that elevate a whole community.
Corporate Digital Skills Training Leaders
There are many large corporate champions of corporate digital skills in India:
- Infosys Foundation: Runs rural digital literacy camps
- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS): Provides free AI training for youth
- Wipro Foundation: Teams up with NGO partners to train in programmes on the ground
- HCL Foundation: Has a focus on creating livelihood opportunities for women through IT skills training
All of these align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
SDG 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Companies align business objectives with social objectives to ensure their CSR investments have a lasting impact.
Challenges and Opportunities for the Future
While the advances are encouraging, challenges remain:
- Lack of connectivity in rural areas – there is still a digital divide
- Lack of awareness of the digital careers available
- Mentorship stops once the course ends
But there are also huge opportunities:
India’s growth in the start-up ecosystem needs skilled talent:
- Digital inclusion growth in government programs is increasing
- Companies are increasingly interested in AI training and innovation
- By scaling up and coordinating efforts, CSR digital skills training is helping to add millions of skilled workers to India’s economy and contribute to its digital future.
CSR Digital Skills Training: Developing an Inclusive Future
CSR in India has transitioned from ad hoc philanthropy focused on reactionary need to one with a long-term vision for social change. Of all CSR initiatives, digital skills training stands out as the only initiative with a multiplier effect.
Through partnership between companies, engagement in the communities served by local NGO’s that have local trust, and passion from learners willing to explore new areas of opportunity, strong outcomes are possible. Despite the laudable goal of preparing people for employment, life-long learners engender leadership, mentorship, and social contribution in their communities.
Each learner trained is not just one employee success story; This is one success story along with a family that advances, a community that gets stronger, and a country that
When corporates invest in digital futures, the benefits reach far beyond today – they empower generations to come.