Dell Technologies has launched uDaan, a national skilling programme that aims to train 23,000 young people for roles in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and electronics manufacturing.
The programme is being implemented through a consortium comprising FITT-IIT Delhi, Learning Links Foundation and Generation India Foundation. It will cover 190 government and aided institutions across five technology corridors—Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune.
As part of the programme, FITT-IIT Delhi will design and certify four curricula covering AI application development, cloud development, assembly line operations and field technician roles. The curricula have been co-validated by more than 40 employers from the technology, electronics manufacturing, Global Capability Centre and hyperscaler sectors.
Learning Links Foundation will oversee delivery at higher education institutions and institutional onboarding, while Generation India Foundation will lead implementation across ITIs and employment linkages.
“India’s AI economy is creating roles faster than employers are able to fill them, and those roles require new skillsets. uDaan is how Dell is helping build pathways from education to employment at scale, in partnership with institutions that serve millions of young Indians,” said Manish Gupta, President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies India.
“We believe skilling is a critical enabler of AI adoption, workforce readiness and long-term innovation and economic viability. This is technology driving human progress. This is Dell’s commitment to India’s future,” he added.
The programme also includes employer connections aimed at supporting job placements, apprenticeships and entrepreneurship. Dell said uDaan will track employment and retention at three, six, 12 and 24 months after placement, rather than focusing only on course completion.
For learners pursuing entrepreneurship, the programme targets 25 deep-tech start-ups among higher education learners and 10 micro-enterprises among ITI learners in its first year. FITT-IIT Delhi’s innovation ecosystem will provide bootcamps and technical mentorship, with links to accelerator networks and capital.
Dell employees will provide more than 2,000 hours of mentoring across the five corridors, covering career guidance, AI awareness and interview preparation.
The programme will also provide apprenticeship pathways through the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) and National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) portals for learners who do not move directly into employment.
Dell said the programme has been developed with the involvement of state Directorate of Vocational Education and Training (DVET) and Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) officials, with the model intended to be documented for possible adoption by state governments and other companies.
uDaan builds on Dell’s earlier work in school-level digital literacy and innovation. The company said its initiatives over the past decade have reached more than 50 million K-12 learners. It also said its Solar Community Hubs programme has reached 2.67 million beneficiaries across 18 districts and 14 states since FY23.