AI race is pushing companies deeper into college campuses

Bengaluru: AI is not just changing jobs; it is changing the race for talent. As companies deploy the technology across businesses, they are moving into campuses to build the skills they will need next.

Capgemini, Genpact, Ericsson, ITC and Tata Motors are among organisations forging deeper corporate-campus alliances—from setting up AI and data labs and co-designing courses to running live projects and specialised academies—to build capabilities in AI, machine learning, data science, cloud, cybersecurity, automation and 5G.

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“Such partnerships strengthen the quality of the talent pipeline by helping students develop industry-relevant capabilities before they enter the workforce,” said Priyanka Anand, head of HR for southeast Asia, Oceania and India at Ericsson. “Through structured learning and practical exposure, students gain stronger foundational skills.”

Ericsson’s ITI Labs Project, launched with the Telecom Sector Skill Council in May this year, aims to upskill 10,000 Industrial Training Institute (ITI) students through 10 advanced labs across nearly 100 institutes, giving them practical exposure to 5G infrastructure deployment and emerging telecom technologies.

“We are equally focused on building strong foundations in AI and machine learning, cloud, automation, cybersecurity, IoT and 5G because these technologies increasingly work together to power the digital economy,” Anand said.

Tata Motors has established structured research and capability partnerships with premier Indian and global institutions, including IITs, IISc, IIMs and MIT. Its partnerships span EVs, GenAI, cybersecurity, engineering analytics, digital twins and the circular economy.

The company has also launched an AI Academy and has more than 75 ongoing engineering projects covering digital twins, cyber-physical systems, AI-based EV controls, autonomous navigation and predictive maintenance. Over the past year, more than 700 engineers completed certification programmes, while around 70 employees are pursuing company-sponsored M.Tech programmes in AI and data science and 15 are enrolled in PhD programmes.

“These partnerships are primarily designed to reskill and upskill our existing workforce while strengthening joint research and innovation capabilities, rather than serving solely as a campus hiring pipeline,” said Sitaram Kandi, CHRO, Tata Motors.

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Capgemini has introduced innovation challenges, hackathons, proof-of-concept development, industry mentorship and live projects to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry requirements.

“While generative AI has emerged as an important area of focus, our partnerships with academia are designed to build capabilities across the wider digital ecosystem,” said Ravindra Nagaraja, head of talent acquisition-India at Capgemini. “This includes cloud technologies, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data engineering, data analytics, intelligent automation, software engineering, cybersecurity and digital engineering.”

Over the past year, Genpact has trained nearly 2,000 learners through 12 academic partnerships. Other programmes, such as Super 70 and Super 30, help identify and accelerate high-potential talent from the IIT ecosystem in AI, data, cloud and digital engineering.

“Nearly 80% of these learners came from tier-2 and tier-3 engineering institutions,” said Ritu Bhatia, senior vice-president of recruitment, Genpact. “We now plan to expand our institutional partnerships and learner reach across AI, digital, analytics and professional skills.”

ITC has expanded collaborations in applied AI and data science, including with the IIT Madras Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI.

“Our Young Digital Innovators’ Lab, guided by INSEAD faculty, enables digital-native managers to prototype digital-first business models,” said Amitav Mukherji, head of corporate human resources at ITC. “We also co-create programmes with academia around real business challenges, supported by our AI and digital centres of excellence and a network of digital champions who drive adoption across the enterprise.”