Hexaware and upGrad Launch Agentic AI Academy for Autonomous Future

In a significant move to deepen artificial intelligence capabilities within its workforce, global IT services provider Hexaware Technologies has partnered with edtech major upGrad to launch the Agentic AI Academy. This initiative marks a new phase in Hexaware's AI strategy, shifting from foundational generative AI knowledge to the specialized skills required to build and manage autonomous, intelligent AI systems. The academy is designed to prepare the company's global teams for a future where sophisticated AI agents work alongside humans, fundamentally reshaping how business and technology services are designed and delivered.

The establishment of the Agentic AI Academy is a direct response to the rapid evolution of enterprise AI.[1] It builds upon Hexaware's prior investment in AI training, which has already provided foundational and advanced generative AI concepts to 95% of its employees.[2][3] The new focus is squarely on "Agentic systems"—autonomous software agents capable of planning, acting, and adapting in real time to perform complex tasks.[4][1] This evolution from generative AI to agentic AI reflects a broader industry trend toward more sophisticated, action-oriented artificial intelligence that can move beyond content creation to orchestrate and automate complex workflows, a development that demands a new set of advanced skills. The collaboration leverages the corporate training expertise of upGrad Enterprise, which has co-designed the program's pedagogy and custom content to align with Hexaware's specific business priorities and workforce needs.[1][3]

The curriculum of the Agentic AI Academy is meticulously structured into distinct, role-based learning paths to ensure that employees across different functions can effectively engage with the new technology.[1] The "Builder.AI" track is tailored for developers and engineers, focusing on the technical skills needed to construct agent architectures from the ground up, including orchestration, tool integration, and safety protocols.[3] A second category, "Collaborator.AI," is designed for teams responsible for adapting and customizing open-source or platform-based agent solutions for client environments.[3] The third path, "Manage.AI," targets delivery and operations leaders, equipping them with the knowledge to manage human-agent interactions, oversee quality assurance, and conduct real-time monitoring of these intelligent systems.[3] This structured approach ensures that the upskilling is not just theoretical but deeply practical, preparing teams for real-world application and deployment of agentic systems for clients.

This strategic partnership underscores a proactive approach to workforce development in the face of rapid technological disruption. For Hexaware, the academy is a critical step in becoming an AI-first organization and expanding its Agentic service offerings across various industries.[5][4] The company aims to onboard the majority of its delivery and engineering teams into the academy over the next few months, signaling a large-scale transformation of its service delivery model.[4][3] For upGrad Enterprise, the collaboration highlights its role as a key enabler of digital transformation, providing the specialized, outcome-driven learning models that large corporations need to stay competitive.[6][7] The initiative is framed not merely as an upskilling program but as a fundamental alignment of the company's talent capabilities with the evolving demands of the global business landscape.[5] Executives from both organizations have emphasized that this investment in employees is crucial for delivering exceptional value to clients and staying ahead of the technology curve.[6][8]

In conclusion, the launch of the Agentic AI Academy by Hexaware and upGrad is a forward-looking initiative that addresses the critical need for specialized AI talent. By moving beyond foundational knowledge to cultivate expertise in autonomous AI agents, Hexaware is positioning itself at the vanguard of the next wave of enterprise AI solutions. The collaboration serves as a compelling model for how technology service providers can partner with education specialists to systematically build the high-level skills required to navigate and lead in an increasingly AI-centric economy. This deep-skilling endeavor not only enhances Hexaware's internal capabilities but also signals to the broader industry the accelerating demand for a workforce adept at collaborating with and managing intelligent, autonomous systems.