UChicago partners with TSSC to boost Indias digital economy

The University of Chicago (UChicago) has sealed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Telecom Sector Skill Council of India (TSSC) in the presence of senior GoI Minister Shri P. P. Chaudhary (Hon’ble Minister of State for Law & Justice, Electronics and Information Technology).

The partnership was inaugurated with an engaging dialogue on “Building India 2030 with Emerging Global Technologies” at the University of Chicago Center in New Delhi, witnessing participation from “who’s who” of the industry, academia and the Government of India. Some notable guests included Akhil Gupta (Vice-Chairman, Bharti Enterprises), Bhaskar Pramanik (Chairman, Microsoft India), Sivasailam (Additional Secretary, Department of Telecommunication), Pankaj Mohindroo (National President, Indian Cellular Association of India), and  Phil Chang (Secretary, Economic Division, Government of Taiwan), amongst others.

The MoU was signed by Dr Kerwin Charles, Interim Dean at the Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago (in Chicago) and then sealed between Lt Gen. Dr S. P. Kochhar, Chief Executive Officer of TSSC, and Dr Balaji Srinivasan, Associate Provost and Senior Advisor to the President at University of Chicago, in New Delhi.

Under the memorandum of understanding, UChicago will help TSSC, a public-private partnership focussed on capacity building in the Indian telecom sector, create training programs focussed on advanced telecom and digital skills. As a knowledge partner for TSSC, UChicago will leverage its world-class strengths in evidence-based policy research and capacity building to help create targeted educational tools for TSSC trainers. In turn, the trainers will then train students and professionals who belong to the vast TSSC network, within and outside of India. Currently, TSSC has a strong reach in India, Taiwan, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Chief Guest Shri P. P. Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State for Law & Justice, Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY), said, “For digital India to be a reality, technology will be that unique driver that will lead us to reach a massive scale. This linkage between technology, industry and academia to develop skills is really commendable. This is an opportunity for everyone for building India 2030 and the role of the partnership is to build and collaborate towards achieving it. It is time that there is a mind-set shift in Indians from being technology users to becoming technology creators. Digital revolution is definitely ours and we are at the apex of one in telecom. We must ensure that the fruits of this revolution reach citizens even at the bottom of the pyramid.”

“UChicago, led by the Harris School of Public Policy, is pleased to partner with such an important sector of the Indian market,” said Balaji Srinivasan, Associate Provost & Senior Advisor to the president at UChicago. “We look forward to bringing our strengths as a University to bear on TSSC’s training program, working closely with them to adopt a model of collaboration that builds upon the existing ecosystem in India, and by plugging in relevant global expertise.”

The collaboration builds on UChicago’s current skill-building efforts in India led by the Tata Centre for Development at UChicago. The Centre, based at Harris Public Policy in the United States and the University of Chicago Trust in India, builds on a solid foundation of development-focussed research and implementation efforts to deliver trainings directed at government officials, bureaucrats and other decision-makers within the development space.