Building Future-Ready Workforces: How Skilling and Entrepreneurship Initiatives Are Creating New Pathways to Opportunity

Across the world, economies are changing at a faster pace than ever. Technology is reshaping industries, and new kinds of jobs are emerging; traditional career paths look very different from what they did even a decade ago. For countries with young, ambitious populations, this moment holds immense promise — but only if we can equip people with the right skills and opportunities to thrive.

The global conversation around skilling is no longer about just filling jobs. It’s about preparing people to solve real-world problems, adapt, innovate — and, increasingly, create opportunities for themselves and others.

Lessons from Around the World: Skilling Can’t Wait

In countries like Indonesia, we’re seeing how bold partnerships can make skilling more accessible. Recently, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison teamed up with Wadhwani Foundation to launch AI-powered job readiness tools — not tucked away in classrooms or training centres but delivered directly to mobile apps that millions of young Indonesians already use every day.

With just a few taps, learners can now access career training, AI tools, and soft skills resources — all designed to prepare them for the future of work. It’s a model that feels especially relevant for countries like India, where mobile connectivity is nearly universal, but access to quality skilling often isn’t.

It is also a good reminder that every country has its unique challenges, and the solution often lies in reaching out to learners through technology, collaboration, and programs tailored to local realities.

Skilling and Entrepreneurship Go Hand in Hand
And technical skills are only part of the picture, though.

Around the world — and particularly in economies like India’s — entrepreneurship is becoming just as critical as employability. It is not only that the youth want jobs; many today wish to build something of their own. However, enthusiasm alone is not enough to make that ambition come true. It requires hands-on skills, organised training, and exposure to the right mentors and networks.

It is here that the Wadhwani IGNITE program comes in. IGNITE, an AI-enabled entrepreneurship training program, is now available on SWAYAM Plus, integrating global startup frameworks with the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Alongside IGNITE, the Foundation’s Skilling Program is also available on SWAYAM Plus, offering students structured, credit-aligned employability training that prepares them for today’s job market. Together, these offerings ensure that both workforce readiness and entrepreneurial capability are accessible to learners nationwide through a single, scalable platform.

For students, this is a chance to learn how to test ideas, develop business models and experience the highs and lows of starting a venture. For the economy, it is about cultivating job creators and not just job seekers.

This entrepreneurial spirit does not only apply at a national level. In Kerala, in particular, Wadhwani Foundation has collaborated with Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) to conduct bootcamps, hackathons, and startup programs in colleges so far, which has helped young people develop their ideas into real-life solutions and create a vibrant and grassroots-level innovation culture.

India’s Skilling Challenge — and Opportunity

Of course, India’s skilling landscape comes with its own scale and complexity. With millions entering the workforce each year, providing meaningful, future-ready training at scale remains a huge task.

But we’re also seeing how partnerships between government, academia, and organisations can help move the needle.

Take Uttarakhand, where Wadhwani Foundation is working with SETU Aayog and the state’s higher education department to embed AI-enabled employability programs into university curricula. It will impact over 100,000 students each year across more than 300 colleges in the state, serving as an example of how policy, technology, and education can work together to achieve significant impact—not just in small pockets, but across an entire state.

Similarly, collaborations with national bodies, such as the Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE Skill India), and industry leaders, like PepsiCo India, are bringing AI mentorship, digital skilling content, and employability tools into formal training systems and corporate environments alike.

The Foundation has also been formally accredited as a Dual Awarding Body by the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), which is a very important step towards the greater accessibility of credible and scalable skills certification in India.

It’s Not Just About Jobs — It’s About Dignity and Mobility

At the heart of all these efforts — whether in Indonesia, Kerala, Uttarakhand, or elsewhere — is a simple idea: skills unlock opportunity. They open doors to better jobs, yes, but also to greater confidence, social mobility, and the ability to shape one’s own future.

This is especially true for young people from underserved backgrounds, rural communities, and groups that have traditionally been excluded from formal workforce pipelines.

But making skilling truly inclusive, scalable, and future-proof isn’t something any single organisation can achieve alone. It takes alignment — between governments setting the vision, educational institutions delivering learning, industry driving demand, and social impact organisations helping to fill the gaps.

Collaboration Is No Longer Optional

The reality is that no country, including India, can afford to tackle the skilling challenge in silos. The world is changing too quickly, and the risks of leaving people behind are too great.

Encouragingly, whether through state-level partnerships, national programs such as Skill India, or global knowledge sharing across countries like Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil, there’s growing recognition that building future-ready workforces requires collaboration — at every level.

It’s also about recognising that skilling is more about preparing people for a world that doesn’t stand still. This means embracing technology, such as AI, investing in entrepreneurship, and ensuring that young people — regardless of their location — have access to the tools they need to succeed.

A Collective Responsibility — and a Shared Opportunity

India, like many nations, has the talent, ambition, and energy to lead in this space. But turning potential into progress takes deliberate, sustained action — from policymakers, educators, businesses, and civil society alike.

When collaboration is based on mutual interest and actionable solutions, the difference can be swift, reaching everyone with access to a phone — whether it is a student in Jakarta accessing career training , an aspiring entrepreneur in Kerala pitching their first startup idea, or a university graduate in Uttarakhand entering the workforce, with confidence.

One of the challenges as well as opportunities of our time is the creation of future-ready workforces. And although the road is long, the destination is clear: collaborate, invest in people and unlock the potential that exists in every young person everywhere.