Cognizant announced a big expansion of its Synapse global upskilling program. The new goal is to upskill two million people by the end of 2030. This comes after Cognizant, which started Synapse in 2023, already exceeded its first goal of training one million people by 2026.
The fast growth of artificial intelligence and digital change is driving a global shift in the workforce. A recent study by Cognizant and Oxford Economics warns that up to 90 percent of jobs, from entry level to executive, may face disruption in the next decade due to AI changes.
To tackle this challenge, Synapse provides various skilling pathways. These include digital literacy, generative AI, employee-led STEM education, apprenticeship programs, community education, and partnerships with schools, non-profits, and governments.
Cognizant’s new commitment focuses on expanding its branded learning programs and events. The company will strengthen technology partnerships and work harder to reduce socio-economic, cultural, and language barriers to tech education.
The initiative “reflects the essential role Cognizant plays in enabling people across the world to thrive in the AI-powered age and in the prosperity that this digital transformation brings,” said CEO Ravi Kumar S.
Implications for the HR Industry
A New Standard for Workforce Readiness
The expanded Synapse commitment signals a shift in how companies-especially those in IT and technology services-view learning and development. Upskilling is no longer a nice-to-have perk but has become an important strategic enabler. For HR teams, this means investing proactively in continuous learning and building long-term talent pipelines that will help meet future skill demands.
Mapping the future demand for skills, such as AI, data analytics, and cloud technologies, designing training curricula, and providing learning outcomes that tie back to business goals may arguably involve much closer collaboration by HR departments with business units in the years to come, rather than mere administrative functions like training.
Better Availability of Talent, Lower Skill Gaps
Synapse targets two million people in the global labor market-both external job aspirants and internal staff-to expand the pool of tech-ready talent. That, in turn, may reduce hiring pressures and skill gaps while speeding up the deployment of digital projects-each of which is crucial to IT companies and organizations embarking on the journey of digital transformation.
For HR professionals in smaller firms or in geographies facing talent shortages, this kind of large‑scale upskilling is especially useful: it expands the labor market, enabling them to hire from a broader, better-skilled talent base.
Also Read: CompTIA Offers AI Essentials Training to Build Workplace‑Ready AI Skills
Elevated role of L&D and continuous reskilling
With technologies, especially AI, moving as fast as they do, one-time skills training may no longer be enough. HR and L&D functions could morph into ongoing talent readiness operations that continually assess the needs of the workforce and provide modular training-including entry-level technology literacy, advanced AI skills, and shifting to new roles-and embed continuous learning into the culture.
For instance, this is probably increasing demand for professionals in L&D, requiring increased use of data-driven metrics to track training performance, and possibly forming more partnerships with educational institutions or third-party training providers.
Broader Ramifications for Businesses
Improved Agility to Respond to Digital Disruption
More upskilled talent will mean that companies, especially in the industry of IT, technology services, and digital consulting, or even non-tech sectors, are better positioned to adapt and respond to the evolving dynamics of market demands rapidly. Agility is crucial in a world where AI-driven disruption and digital transformation are accelerating globally.
Democratization of Digital Skills and Inclusion
By explicitly reducing socioeconomic or cultural barriers to access, Synapse may help democratize opportunity. Individuals hailing from non-traditional or underserved backgrounds might get access to valuable digital skills, enabling more diversity and inclusion in tech roles. This has long-term social benefits-and can also help businesses tap into a more diverse workforce.
Competitive Advantage for Early Adopters
Companies that start upskilling in volume earlier may be at an advantage: fewer bottlenecks in recruiting, more internal mobility, better talent retention, and greater capacity to deliver sophisticated digital work. This readiness can, over time, be translated into superior business performance: speedier project execution, innovation, and resilience.
Pressure on Firms That Don’t Invest in Talent
Those that don’t upskill continually risk falling behind. Skill requirements are moving at an increasingly fast clip these days-particularly in AI, the cloud, and data-and companies with talent that is out of date or obsolete will not be able to keep up-to the point where they may not have the right talent, have a significant increase in the cost of hiring, or not be able to use current technologies.
Conclusion
Cognizant‘s choice to expand its Synapse initiative aims for 2 million trained individuals by 2030. This isn’t just a learning program; it shows a shift in building and managing the future workforce. Synapse raises the standard for HR: continuous learning, agile upskilling, and proactive talent readiness will be key to success. For businesses, meeting this goal can boost agility, competitiveness, and access to a diverse talent pool. Ignoring it may mean falling behind in the fast-changing digital economy.
