CSR News: Fostering Digital Inclusion to Build India’s AI-Ready Workforce

As AI continues to reshape how businesses operate and how people work, the focus is shifting toward making digital skills more accessible and inclusive. At this year’s TARANG CSR Summit, hosted by the ARCH Foundation, TELUS Digital India shared its vision for narrowing the AI skills gap and building a more equitable digital future. Deepika Pillai, Senior Director for Human Resources at TELUS Digital India, shared her expertise and the company’s vision at the recently concluded summit in Gujarat. Her message emphasized the need for early access to AI education and the importance of public-private partnerships in building a future-ready workforce.

TARANG Summit 2025 brought together business leaders, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to advance India’s corporate social responsibility initiatives. The event addressed emerging challenges in sustainable development and community empowerment. Through collaborative dialogue, participants explored innovative strategies to drive meaningful social impact and foster transformative change.

TELUS Digital India demonstrated its commitment to transformative social impact through various Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, with a particular focus on AI training and digital literacy. The company’s efforts align with India’s vision for a technologically advanced and inclusive future.

“The real impact is created by sustainable, inclusive growth. It is essential that we move away from transactional CSR initiatives to deeply ingrained, transformational collaborations that empower communities,” shared Pillai, emphasizing the company’s strategic approach to social impact.

A cornerstone of TELUS Digital India’s CSR strategy is the EduCode project, a partnership with the ARCH Foundation. EduCode addresses the fundamental challenge of accessible technology in underserved communities  by setting up computer labs with internet access. This helps to provide foundational digital literacy, with progression to basic AI and coding training for both students and teachers. This 10-month program has benefited over 767 students across two government schools in Greater Noida, with a significant impact on 80 boys and 687 girls.

The company’s efforts extend beyond education, extending to workforce development. One standout initiative is Project Samika, a CSR program designed to train and integrate underrepresented communities into the tech workforce. So far, the project has successfully trained 22 young women in basic tech and data annotation skills, seamlessly integrating them into a new customer experience team at TELUS Digital India. Furthermore, nine women have been upskilled to support more complex projects in 2D annotation, RPA, tech support, and monitoring profiles, and the company plans to expand this project even further this year.

TELUS Digital India’s approach to AI skilling recognizes the critical importance of this field for India’s future. With NASSCOM projecting 1 million AI-related job openings in India by 2030, the company’s initiatives are timely and essential. Their efforts contribute to addressing the significant skill gap in India’s AI sector, where the demand for professionals is expected to reach 2.3 million by 2027, against a projected talent pool of only 1.2 million.

Looking ahead, TELUS Digital India remains committed to expanding access to accessible training programs, mentorship opportunities, and investments in digital infrastructure.The company’s multi-faceted approach, combining direct training, partnerships with NGOs and educational institutions, and community outreach, positions it as a leader in democratizing AI education and preparing India’s workforce for a technology-driven future.

Through these sustained efforts, TELUS Digital India is not only advancing its CSR goals but also playing an active role in shaping India’s trajectory as a global AI talent and innovation hub, contributing meaningfully to the nation’s vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047.

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