New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS): The government has said that a number of leading international companies are coming forward to help with the Skill India Mission. Technology and telecommunication majors from Europe and the US -- Microsoft, IBM, CISCO among others -- are helping set up different training programmes, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship R.K. Singh told Rajya Sabha on Friday.

The minister's written reply stated, "IBM has launched a two-year Advance Diploma Programme in IT, Networking and Cloud Computing in 16 NSTIs. Similarly CISCO is setting up Net Academy Lab in six NSTIs for Master Trainer Training Programme to NSTI Instructors."

The minister also said that the Directorate General of Training in collaboration with Adobe has launched training programme for Digital CV, Graphic, Videos, Web pages under which 17,200 persons have been trained and another 7,000 instructors of ITIs and NSTIs have been given Masters' Training.

He also listed some programmes designed specifically for training the women work force in the country. "Data Security Council of India, set up by NASSCOM, in collaboration with Microsoft, has launched a programme called Cyber Shiksha to create a skilled and industry-ready women professionals in the realm of cyber security under which 500 women have been trained during 2019-20. Besides, Symantec is funding a program to train women engineers on Cyber Security trades," Singh said in his reply.