Indian IT companies significantly increased employee learning and development efforts in FY26, with average training hours rising sharply across several leading firms as organisations accelerate investments in AI-related skills and workforce transformation.
Annual reports of major technology companies indicate that employees are spending more time on upskilling programmes as businesses move beyond basic generative AI awareness and focus on building teams capable of working alongside AI systems and intelligent agents.
Among the country’s largest IT services companies, Tata Consultancy Services reported a more than 25 per cent increase in average learning hours per employee, rising to 120 hours in FY26 from 96 hours in the previous fiscal year. Infosys recorded an even steeper increase, with average learning hours jumping 58 per cent to 113 hours. Meanwhile, LTIMindtree reported a 31 per cent rise, with employees averaging 312 learning hours during the year.
However, Wipro stood out as an exception to the trend. The company reported a slight decline in average learning hours, which fell from 83 hours in FY25 to 79 hours in FY26.
Reportedly, the rise in training investments is attributed to the growing demand for AI-related capabilities. Organisations are increasingly focusing on skills such as machine learning operations, data engineering, cloud-native engineering and full-stack AI development. The emphasis is shifting from simply teaching employees how to use AI tools to preparing them to design, manage and collaborate with AI-powered systems.
Corporate learning strategies are also evolving. Traditional training models centred on mandatory online modules are gradually being replaced by more application-oriented approaches that combine learning with real-world assignments and project work.
Furthermore, organisations are increasingly measuring the effectiveness of training through business outcomes rather than course- completion rates alone. Metrics such as productivity gains, faster skill acquisition, improved decision-making and reduced errors are becoming key indicators of workforce readiness in the AI era.
The trend reflects how AI is reshaping talent- development priorities across the Indian technology sector, making continuous learning a critical component of future workforce strategies.
