NEW DELHI: Software giant Microsoft, under its initiative to bring more women into the Indian IT industry, along with partners will train and mentor 1 million women in the next 12 months.

Microsoft India launched its ‘Women in Tech’ initiative, which aims to double the number of women IT professionals in India from the present one million in the next few years.

The initiative will include girl school students, young women students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) colleges, women IT professionals and entrepreneurs.

Women in Tech is designed to help aspiring IT professionals, by associating with them from the time they are in high school till they take up a IT job or start their own IT venture.

“We are incredibly excited to start this initiative. Our focus is to help girls take up IT as a career and also encourage more women to turn tech entrepreneurs,” Microsoft India chief evangelist Joseph Landes told.

Through the course of the next year, Microsoft will provide one million women access to awareness sessions, training and certification programmes and mentoring sessions, he added.

“Besides, Microsoft Ventures will mentor 30 women-led start-up companies and support them in building connections with the broader start-up community in India,” Mr Landes said.

Microsoft India chairman Bhaskar Pramanik said: “Today, Indian IT industry has about one million women. Our initiative aims to double that number in the next few years.”

Under the initiative, Microsoft will engage with 750,000 women in STEM courses in the next 12 months and will also train 250,000 women IT professionals.

Besides, the programme will look towards building local communities for girls and women to meet, network and learn from each other by sharing ideas and learning across the board.

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