Name: CII Edu-Tech Expo 2026 Southern Region
Start: 2026-09-24T09:00:00.000+05:30
End: 2026-09-26T18:30:00.000+05:30
Location: Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai

KPMG in India is knowledge partner for this event.

CII Edu-Tech Expo 2026 Southern Region is a conference platform that brings together education leaders, policymakers, EdTech innovators, industry stakeholders, investors, researchers, and academia to explore the transformative role of technology in education and workforce development.

As digital transformation, artificial intelligence, adaptive learning, immersive technologies and future skills continue to reshape the education ecosystem, the event serves as a platform for thought leadership, collaboration, industry-academia engagement, and discussions on building future-ready learning ecosystems.

KPMG in India, in collaboration with CII is also launching a co-branded whitepaper titled “Closing the Employability Gap: Role of technology in rebuilding the academia-industry bridge in Indian Higher Education” that examines emerging trends, opportunities, and strategic priorities shaping the future of education, skills, and technology-enabled learning.

Key focus sectors:

K–12 education technology
Higher education learning platforms
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
AI and adaptive learning platforms
AR/VR and immersive learning

Skill development and employability platforms
Test preparation and assessment tools
Corporate learning and upskilling
EdTech startups and innovation ecosystems

Agenda and Session

Day 1

24 September 2026
Time: 10.30 a.m – 10.40 a.m IST

Future-ready skills: Closing the campus-to-industry gap

Employers consistently report that graduates are strong in theory but lack some of the practical skills that work demands, from applied AI and data fluency to communication, problem-solving and adaptability.

At the same time, the nature of work is evolving, with gig, freelance, startup and project-based opportunities growing alongside conventional employment. Work-integrated models such as apprenticeships, internships and industry-embedded degree programmes help connect learning with real-world application, while innovation hubs and startup incubators foster entrepreneurial thinking and venture creation.

This session will explore the skills and competencies needed for the future of work, how academia and industry can collaborate to develop them, and how institutions can foster innovation, entrepreneurship and workforce readiness.

Industry report: Narayanan Ramaswamy will launch the white paper titled: "Closing the employability gap: Role of technology in building the academia-industry bridge in Indian higher education"

This whitepaper examines why employability challenges persist in India despite the rapid growth of higher education, skilling initiatives and credential pathways. While technology has expanded access at scale, employability outcomes have not improved at the same pace. The paper explores how technology can help bridge the gap between education and employment through real-time labour market intelligence, stronger industry-academia linkages and improved capability signalling. It argues that the next phase of employability reform will depend not only on what learners study, but also on how effectively credentials communicate workforce capability to employers.

Speaker