By Bl Bengaluru Bureau

Copyright thehindubusinessline

Snowflake, the AI Data Cloud company, has collaborated with ICT Academy to scale the Snowflake Academia Program in India, an initiative that will give educators and students direct access to data and AI technologies. Snowflake and ICT Academy aim to train over 1,000 educators and 2,50,000 students by providing hands-on experience and pathways to industry-recognised SnowPro certifications over the next three years.

This initiative builds on Snowflake’s global programme, One Million Minds + One Platform, focused on global AI upskilling. At the core of this initiative is faculty enablement, equipping educators with knowledge, curriculum, and free access to the Snowflake Platform, Snowflake technical foundations, and advanced courses such as data engineering and the latest AI-related programmes to train their students effectively.

ICT Academy, a not-for-profit society, is an initiative backed by the Centre, state governments, and industry leaders, and spans 1,500-plus academic institutions across 27 states. The collaboration with Snowflake is aligned with the ICT Academy’s Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model, offering participation from higher education institutions, arts and science colleges, and polytechnic institutions across tier-1 and tier-2 cities.

The collaboration focuses on three key areas: building student data literacy through training and certification, empowering faculty via a train-the-trainer model and strengthening industry–academia engagement through events and hackathons.

The programme aims to train and certify over 250 faculty annually on the SnowPro Associate certification and support more than 1,000 educators to integrate Snowflake concepts into their teaching. Snowflake will provide faculty dedicated enablement sessions, a ready-to-teach curriculum, learning materials, tailored hands-on training, and the software required to train students.

Faculty will become proficient in demonstrating Snowflake concepts and embedding them in college courses, such as cloud computing, data warehousing, big data analytics, database management systems, machine learning, AI, and software engineering. They will also be able to access a global community of educators leveraging Snowflake in their curricula, fostering opportunities for connection and collaboration.

Students will gain direct access to the Snowflake AI Data Cloud for hands-on learning and project work, supported by a structured curriculum, official teaching resources, and cost-free platform credits. The Snowflake courses will be available to students enrolled in the third year of Computer Science, Engineering, or Management-related programmes. The new courses will be offered in multiple formats, allowing them to be integrated directly into the college curriculum, included as lessons within existing subjects, or provided as extra-curricular subjects.

“The collaboration with ICT Academy is a major step in shaping India’s data and AI future-ready workforce. By providing access to a relevant, up-to-date curriculum that includes ready-to-use modules, Snowflake is helping bridge the gap between academic theory and practical application. We are proud to work with the ICT Academy to enable educators and students to create a sustainable model for large-scale AI skilling in India. This collaboration will accelerate student career opportunities by allowing them to gain hands-on experience and graduate with a strong portfolio of projects, showcasing the industry-ready skills employers are looking for,” said Vijayant Rai, Managing Director, India, Snowflake.

The collaboration also fosters connections between academia and industry through round-tables, seminars, and industry events, providing students and educators opportunities to engage directly with technology leaders and employers.

Speaking on the collaboration, Srikanth. V, CEO, ICT Academy of Tamil Nadu, added, “Our collaboration with Snowflake is not just about introducing new courses, it’s about transforming the way data and AI are taught in India. By providing faculty with the latest tools and curriculum, we are creating a multiplier effect that will benefit students for years to come. This partnership will help bridge the urban–rural skills divide, enabling institutions across Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities to produce graduates who are industry-ready from Day One.”

Published on September 15, 2025