Manav Subodh- Managing Director of 1M1B (One Million for One Billion

On this World Youth Skills Day, let us celebrate (and promise to leverage) the power of future technologies, like AI, AR, and VR, in making education and skilling more immersive, human, and culturally centric. These technologies can enable our youth to have virtual workplaces and job experiences so that they can start developing real-world skills at an early age. Imagine students getting a virtual tour of a factory floor and learning how various departments function. Imagine learning critical skills for the manufacturing sector, like welding, painting, soldering, and firefighting, in the comfort of skill labs. Beyond skilling, as India becomes the skill capital of the world, it's also important to impart values like ethics, integrity, a code of conduct, and even knowledge of Indian culture and heritage in our skilling programs. This is where immersive technologies can play an even bigger role. Virtual museums, virtual visits to monuments of national importance, and knowledge of India's struggle for independence through immersive learning will play a big role in making our youth more human and culturally sensitive. After all, we also want our future workforce to be good ambassadors of India.