IIT-Mandi launches AI upskilling programme

IIT Mandi's Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) has partnered with Nagent AI to launch a pioneering hybrid upskilling programme designed to democratise AI agent creation. This initiative seeks to bridge India's growing AI talent gap by enabling working professionals to build and deploy functional AI agents without coding, reducing development time from months to days.

Targeted at mid-career professionals and tech enthusiasts, the 23-hour hybrid curriculum combines online modules with in-person immersion at the innovation hub. The programme is limited to 30 participants and features an all-inclusive fee model. Applications are open until August 30, 2025. Participants will gain hands-on experience through Nagent AI's no-code platform, currently used by over 1,000 enterprise clients worldwide. They will work with hundreds of advanced AI models, a proprietary retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipeline and tools for building secure, production-grade AI agents.

"Buzzwords can bury real breakthroughs in hype. This programme cuts through that, giving professionals a practical roadmap to build AI agents that matter—today, not someday," said Somjit Amrit, CEO of IIT Mandi TIH. With India expecting a shortfall of over 1 million AI professionals by 2027—and AI job openings projected to hit 2.3 million—the initiative arrives at a crucial moment. The global no-code AI platform market is projected to grow from $4.9 billion in 2024 to $24.8 billion by 2029, reflecting rising enterprise demand for fast, return-on-investment-driven AI deployment.

Unlike other offerings such as Google Vertex AI Agent Builder and Microsoft co-pilot studio, this programme uniquely integrates academic mentorship with real-world business applications. Capstone projects will be co-mentored by key figures from the AI ecosystem, including Pratap Behera (co-founder & CEO, Nagent AI), Senthilraj Kalaimani (Head of R&D, Nagent AI), Siddharth Kanungo (Generative AI Advisor, IIT Mandi TIH) and Anmol Gupta (Founder, Mythyaverse & Gen AI Researcher, IIT Roorkee).

"The partnership empowers any professional—not just coders—to build powerful AI agents quickly, pushing India closer to true AI democratisation," said Behera. Graduates will have access to enterprise opportunities through Nagent AI's partner network. Outstanding projects may be fast-tracked for funding up to Rs 1 crore through iHub's "Call for Innovation" initiative, and top-performing participants will gain certification and visibility through industry showcases.

This initiative supports India's "AI for All" vision by accelerating lab-to-market AI innovation and enabling faster time-to-value in critical sectors like healthcare, supply chain, and customer experience. By condensing traditional 6-12 month learning cycles into weeks, it represents a game-changing leap in accessible, outcome-driven AI education.