HERE Technologies (HERE), a global leader in mapping and location platform services today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK), a state government entity formed to converge efforts of the government, academia and industry players to train and upskill the youth.

Under the agreement, HERE will support the training of technology graduates on mapping and location technology. It will work with the state government as one of the top 20 companies to create short-term and long- term skilling modules across technology verticals. The company will help diverse and young communities to build, expand and strengthen their understanding of mapping and location technologies through a range of initiatives such as curriculum, collaboration, mapathons, hackathons and eventually enabling the larger eco-system to leverage spatial insights in a business setting.

Announcing the MoU, Rohit Kaushik, head - Product Portfolio Operations, South Asia, HERE Technologies said, “Telangana has one of the most competitive technology eco-systems in India, with young, bright and thriving entrepreneurial and student communities. Their strategic approach to boost programs such as ‘Digital India’ and ‘Skill India’ at grassroots level is in alignment with our vision to leverage fresh ideas, innovation and future technologies to create smart, diverse and sustainable societies. Our collaboration with TASK will enable us to cross leverage synergies to foster a culture of learning and development and create an industry ready workforce that can think and solve problems creatively.”

The mapping company says the move is a part of ongoing efforts by the Telangana government, under the aegis of its ‘industry partnership skilling program’ to bring together several industry players and over 100 engineering, diploma, vocational, general degree colleges in the state, under one platform to roll-out initiatives that will bridge the industry-academia gap and create industry ready technology professionals of the future.

Commenting on the announcement, Shrikant Sinha, CEO, TASK, government of Telangana,said, “At present, India stands at an inflexion point with the emergence of new-age innovations and digital technologies. For the youth to take advantage of these innovations and technologies, they need to enhance their skills and stay relevant in this fiercely competitive business landscape. We believe that our association with HERE will enable the youth of Telangana to become part of the growing location services industry, which is maturing into analytics and intelligence, leveraged by both enterprises and consumers alike”.