NASSCOM & Autodesk Partner to Build Global Occupational Standards for Design & Engineering in India

With a focus on bridging employability gaps within the industry NASSCOM has partnered with Autodesk Inc., a world leader in 3D design technology, with a new standardized courseware ‘Product Design Engineer – Mechanical’, so as to enhance skilling in this field. This courseware will empower students in India with the required competencies at the entry level within the larger occupation of Product Engineering Design in the Engineering Research and Development (ERD) sub-sector of the industry. This courseware will help create a skilled talent pool, trained on global standards, with the ability to usher in a design-led future of making things.

To ensure the creation of an academic course that is both relevant and viable, NASSCOM partnered with key industry stakeholders, namely, ANSYS, Autodesk, Geometric, Imaginarium, JCB, LnT Technology Services, SQS, Tata Technologies and TCS. Their inputs have significantly enhanced the design of the curriculum and courseware, which also addresses the need for faculty support, and seeks to achieve this by acquainting trainers with the latest advancements in pedagogy.

Tim Scanlon, Global Engagement Lead, Autodesk Education Experiences (AEX), said, “India needs an evolved education ecosystem built on the foundations of design thinking. This will ensure that the skill-sets possessed by the workforce is relevant and in-sync with the changing requirements of the manufacturing sector. Autodesk has many global initiatives aimed at enabling design skills, right at the grass-root – the students, who eventually join the industry and fuel the growth of national economies. The partnership with NASSCOM will help us in empowering design and engineering professionals and students in India and make them ready for the Future of Making.”

Pradeep Nair, Managing Director Autodesk India and SAARC, said, “The manufacturing sector in India is evolving and making rapid strides towards the future. Students and professionals need to possess the relevant technology skills that can enable them to be industry-ready and capable of driving innovation in product design and engineering. Fusion 360 is a highly advanced design tool that combines industrial and mechanical design, collaboration, and machining in a single package. The courseware based on Fusion 360 will not only up-skill the students but also enable them to dovetail into the evolving requirements of the manufacturing sector in India. Through our collaboration with NASSCOM and IT-ITeS Sector Skill Council NASSCOM, we aim to contribute in upskilling the huge talent pool in India.”

R. Chandrashekhar, President NASSCOM, said “Through this tie-up we hope to provide Indian students an opportunity to upgrade their knowledge in the domain and be at par with global industry standards. NASSCOM is confident that this course will help enhance the skills of professionals in the industry making them market ready.”

India is one of the world’s largest population base of employable youth and is poised to become a sought-after destination for those seeking higher value add and specialized services. Per industry figures, the manufacturing industry contributes nearly 15.1% of India’s GDP and its contribution is expected to be around 25-30% by 2025. The sector is expected to reach US$ 1 trillion by 2025 in the process creating 90 million jobs. This initiative is a collaborative effort with NASSCOM, Autodesk and other industry members, is of great importance for all stakeholders concerned – the industry, academia, and the students. This initiative is expected to build new employability standards, bearing in mind the changing scenario of talent demand and supply in the industry.