AICTE and Microsoft Collaborate to Offer 1500 Online Courses for Free to Students and Educators

AICTE has partnered with Microsoft to empower learners and educators with future-ready skills. As part of this partnership, over 1500 course modules from Microsoft will be made available to students and educators free of cost through All India Council For Technical Education’s e-learning portal, ELIS. Microsoft’s learning resource centre, Microsoft Learn, has been integrated with the ELIS platform to provide access to personalized learning paths and resources for students, covering a broad range of technologies including AI, IoT, data science and cloud computing among others.

The collaboration also gives educators access to best-in-class online learning paths and instructor-led training material through the Microsoft Learn for Educators platform. Eligible educators and faculty members can access Microsoft’s ready-to-teach curriculum and teaching materials aligned with industry-recognized Microsoft certifications, said a statement from the organization.

Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman, AICTE, Ministry of Education, said: “Upskilling is very important to enhance employability opportunities for students. AICTE is happy to partner with Microsoft to help students get an opportunity to be hands-on with the latest technology and build products and services for the future.”

Through this partnership, students will also get an opportunity to be hands-on with technology and build for the future with Azure for Students. Eligible students aged 18 and above can build apps, explore AI, and make the most of big data with access to more than 25 free Azure services along with $100 in Azure credit, renewable annually.

Commenting on this, Anant Maheshwari, president, Microsoft India, said: “Our collaboration with AICTE reflects our commitment to building a strong skilling ecosystem in the country and ensure continuity in learning. COVID-19 has accelerated the need for upskilling and has shown clearly that the future of learning will be profoundly personalized and supported by technology. We are committed to empowering learners and educators across the country to skill themselves in emerging technologies and partner in the journey to thrive in a digital future.”

To make learning more interactive, Microsoft will host live webinars on next-generation technologies for students of AICTE. To ensure technology benefits everyone, Microsoft will also sponsor 1000 Microsoft Certification Exam Vouchers spanning different technologies for students from underserved communities.