IT Minister urges industry to reduce academia-industry gap

Tells IT industry to skill 2 lakh grads every year

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Minister for IT and Industries Duddilla Sridhar Babu has called upon the IT industry to take direct ownership of skilling and mentoring the state's vast pool of engineering graduates, stressing that classroom education alone cannot bridge the gap between academic learning and industry readiness.

The Minister was delivering the keynote address at the 10th anniversary celebration of PSR Techhub, a Hyderabad-based IT services company that has grown into a Rs 120 crore enterprise over the past decade. Addressing entrepreneurs, and young professionals at the event, Sridhar Babu underscored the scale of the challenge  and the opportunity before them.

With nearly two lakh engineering graduates passing out of Telangana's institutions every year, he said, the responsibility of equipping this talent with industry-ready skills could not rest with the government alone.

"The industry must step forward  not just to absorb this talent, but to actively train, mentor, and shape it," the Minister said, urging IT companies across the state to institutionalise structured skilling and mentorship programmes.

Announcing a significant step in this direction, the Minister revealed that the Telangana government is set to operationalise its AI Hub within the next couple of months, a dedicated facility that will offer structured upskilling and reskilling programmes for software engineers across the state.

Singling out PSR Techhub as an example worth emulating, Sridhar Babu noted that the company, which has provided employment to over 250 associates in the course of its journey, represents how homegrown, mid-sized IT enterprises can make a meaningful contribution to the state's technology workforce

Congratulating founder Ranga Rao and the entire PSR Techhub team on completing ten years, Sridhar Babu commended the company's journey as a model of disciplined entrepreneurship and resilient leadership.

Founded in 2016, PSR Techhub has navigated a highly competitive landscape, including the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve a turnover of Rs 120 crore.

Responding directly to Sridhar Babu's call to action, Director P. Namyutha made an emotional commitment on behalf of PSR Techhub.

"The Minister has shown us the way. We will train fresh engineering graduates. We will mentor them, walk with them, and help them find their footing in this industry — because someone once did that for us, and we have never forgotten it," she said, to resounding applause.

Director Namyutha announced that PSR Techhub is set to expand its presence globally, with clients already being established across the world.