Nasscom, Tech SMEs Launch CSR Drive to Skill Marginalized Youth

Nasscom Foundation, in collaboration with the Nasscom SME Council, announced the launch of the project, “Ascend: Skilling Youth in Emerging Technologies”, that brings together nine tech SMEs from the Nasscom ecosystem. Building on the success of last year’s collaborative effort, the project aims to address the skilling and employability gap among marginalized youth—while also enabling SMEs to contribute meaningfully to social impact through CSR.

The Global Skills Gap Report cites that 92% of employees in India believe there is a significant skills gap in the country. The project aims to close these gaps by skilling 150 marginalized youth across Delhi-NCR, Trivandrum, and Pune. Participants will be trained in high-demand domains like Data Analytics and Java Full Stack, complemented by soft skills development and career readiness support. To bridge the gap between skilling and employment, selected trained and certified students will also be offered placement opportunities within relevant sectors.

TechForGood Through Collective Action

Emphasizing the significance of this collaboration, Jyoti Sharma, CEO, Nasscom Foundation said, "Enabling TechForGood lies at the heart of everything we do at Nasscom Foundation. This initiative is a powerful example of how collaboration can drive meaningful social impact, making technology-led skilling accessible to marginalized youth. By bringing together nine visionary tech SMEs in this cohort, we are not only equipping young minds with future-ready skills but also empowering businesses to embrace inclusive and responsible growth. Together, we are creating a scalable model that transforms lives, fosters equity, and ensures that technology becomes a force for sustainable progress."

Despite their critical role in driving India’s innovation economy, many SMEs face challenges in executing impactful CSR—ranging from budget constraints and regulatory complexity to limited awareness of CSR frameworks. Recognizing these constraints, Nasscom Foundation has designed a collaborative model that fosters shared responsibility, deeper impact, and inclusive growth. By bringing together like-minded SMEs under a unified CSR platform, this approach not only eases the operational burden on individual enterprises but also significantly amplifies collective impact. More importantly, it fosters a strong sense of community, shared purpose, and mutual accountability, enabling SMEs to contribute meaningfully to social development while growing responsibly.

Empowering Youth, Especially Women

Maulik Bhansali, CEO, NetWeb Software Pvt. Ltd. & Chair – SME Council, said, “The success of last year’s initiative clearly showed the power of collective action among SMEs to drive social change. We are excited to once again partner with Nasscom Foundation to take this vision forward. This collaboration not only enables us to contribute to nation-building through skilling but also reflects the SME Council’s commitment to creating inclusive opportunities for youth, especially young women from marginalized communities. Together, we are proving that when purpose and partnership align, purpose-driven SMEs can create a big impact.”

The initiative will be delivered in a hybrid model (80% physical and 20% virtual) through SME training partners, emphasizing diversity and inclusion, with a strong focus on gender equity, targeting 60% women beneficiaries. Participants will also gain real-world exposure through mentorship from industry experts, project-based learning, and corporate engagements.

As the Indian IT landscape evolves amidst shifts in outsourcing models and global tech investments, the SME Council Skilling Initiative reaffirms Nasscom Foundation’s commitment to inclusive digital transformation—where technology serves not just growth, but equity, access, and opportunity.