Certification programs are critical in today’s digital-first world

Certification programs are becoming critical in today’s digital-first world. “They equip professionals with verifiable, job-ready skills that directly match fast-changing industry needs,” says Chintan Dave, India Head & GM, AI CERTs in an exclusive interaction with Bizz Buzz.

What role do certification programs play in enhancing employability in AI?

Certification programs are becoming critical in today’s digital-first world. They equip professionals with verifiable, job-ready skills that directly match fast-changing industry needs. Unlike traditional academic paths, certifications provide employers with a reliable benchmark to identify candidates who can contribute from day one. At AI CERTs, we design programs that move beyond theory to cover domain-specific applications such as business, security, data, and cloud. By combining global best practices with real-world applicability, our certifications enable professionals to showcase both depth and relevance, making them highly competitive in the evolving AI workforce.

How do you see AI upskilling impacting jobs across non-tech industries?

AI upskilling is already changing the way non-tech industries work by helping professionals use smart tools in their daily roles. Whether it’s doctors using AI for quicker diagnosis, retailers improving customer experiences, or bankers detecting fraud more effectively, the impact goes far beyond the tech sector. This demands that employees develop data literacy, analytical thinking, and the ability to collaborate with AI systems, regardless of their core domain. Recognizing this, we have designed certification pathways that go beyond purely technical tracks to include business, operations, and leadership roles, ensuring that professionals across sectors can harness AI to drive efficiency, innovation, and growth.

Can you tell us about your recent partnership with NIIT—what unique value does NIIT add, and how does AI CERTs enhance this collaboration?

Our partnership with NIIT combines strengths to make AI learning both accessible and impactful. NIIT brings decades of expertise in education delivery, a strong nationwide presence, and the ability to reach learners at scale, enabling quality AI training to extend beyond metro cities into emerging talent hubs. Through this collaboration, we ensure that learners not only gain access to advanced AI skills but also walk away with globally recognized credentials that carry weight with employers, creating a lasting impact that neither organization could achieve alone.

In your view, how did collaborations of this kind contribute to positioning India as a global hub for AI talent?

Collaborations like these are central to positioning India as a global hub for AI talent because they bring together scale and quality. India already has a strong STEM foundation and a large, ambitious workforce, while government-led digital and skill development initiatives are accelerating the momentum. By connecting academia, industry, and specialized certification providers, we ensure that talent is trained to meet global standards and real-world needs. Extending advanced AI learning beyond metros and raising quality benchmarks creates a workforce that is diverse, future-ready, and globally competitive, enabling India to serve both domestic demand and global talent requirements.

How are AI Labs365 and blockchain-related certifications integrated into Mission AI-Saksham’s offerings to provide hands-on learning?

Through Mission AI-Saksham, we go beyond theory to provide learners with real AI experience via AI Labs365, a hands-on platform where they can work on guided projects, test solutions, and gain confidence through practice. What makes the program truly future-ready is our blockchain-powered certifications, delivered through Certs365™, which are being offered at no cost as part of the initiative. This combination makes applied AI education more accessible at scale while ensuring learners walk away with both skills and trusted, verifiable credentials.

Can you share examples of real-world projects or innovations that have emerged from AI Labs365?

AI Labs365 has empowered learners to move beyond theoretical knowledge and develop practical AI solutions that directly reflect real-world industry use cases. Participants have built diverse prototypes, including a healthcare support chatbot for appointment scheduling and symptom triage, a retail demand forecasting model that leverages real datasets to minimize overstocking and enhance customer satisfaction, and a fraud detection system designed to identify anomalous banking transactions. They have also created an AI-powered resume screener that applies natural language processing to align resumes with job descriptions while addressing fairness and bias, as well as a sustainability dashboard that analyzes city-level energy consumption to highlight opportunities for reducing carbon emissions. Through these hands-on projects, learners not only refine their technical expertise but also witness how AI can drive efficiency, innovation, and meaningful impact across sectors.

In your view, what skills are most critical for the future AI workforce, and how is AI CERTs integrating them into its programs?

The future AI workforce will require a mix of technical depth and applied problem-solving, especially in data literacy, critical thinking, ethical AI, and the ability to turn algorithms into outcomes. As industries evolve, the need is shifting from broad knowledge to role-specific capabilities that drive execution. At AI CERTs, we embed these skills into our ISO 17024:2012-aligned certifications, developed in collaboration with industry leaders to mirror enterprise-level AI adoption. Our focus on hands-on, performance-driven learning ensures professionals can move from understanding to application. This approach creates talent that is not just employable but execution-ready, delivering measurable business impact in an AI-powered economy.

EoM.