World Youth Skills Day quotes from Pratap Mane, President & India Head, Colt Data Centre Services

“The AI era is fundamentally redefining the relationship between infrastructure, energy, and talent. While investment in digital infrastructure will continue to accelerate, the true differentiator will be the availability of highly skilled professionals who can build, manage, and evolve increasingly complex digital ecosystems.

From engineering and critical operations to energy optimisation and sustainability, the capabilities required to power the future of AI infrastructure are becoming increasingly specialised and strategically important. India’s demographic advantage presents a unique opportunity to develop a globally competitive talent base that can support the country’s digital ambitions and contribute to the global digital infrastructure ecosystem.

Realising this opportunity will require collaboration between industry, academia, and policymakers to ensure skills development evolves alongside technological progress. On World Youth Skills Day, the conversation should move beyond preparing talent for the jobs of today and focus on building the capabilities that will define the industries of tomorrow. Investing in future-ready talent is ultimately an investment in India’s long-term digital resilience, innovation, and global competitiveness.”