Ambuja Foundation, an independent, pan-India social development organization dedicated to transforming rural communities, successfully hosted on open dialogue ‘Skill Building for Viksit Bharat’ at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The event brought together influential voices from the government, global academia, industry experts, corporate leaders, and on-ground practitioners. Participants gained rich insights, first-hand experiences, and forward-looking ideas on how skill development can shape the workforce of tomorrow and accelerate India’s growth trajectory. They also witnessed the inspiring journeys of two SEDI (Skill Entrepreneurship Development Institute) students, whose success stand as powerful examples of how the right skills can change lives.
The keynote addresses included Dr. Rashmi Singh, Secretary, Department of Women & Child Development and Secretary, Department of Art, Culture & Languages, Government of NCT, Delhi, Mr. Raman Wadhwa – Deputy Director, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana, National Rural Livelihoods Mission, Government of India, and Col. Gunjan Chowdhary – Director, National Council of Vocational Education and Training, Government of India who highlighted on the focus for skilling in India. They talked about varied skilling programmes, plans, access to information and opportunities and the main focus on collaboration to build a Viksit Bharat.
A distinguished international guest, Urs Keller, an expert and advisor in higher vocational education from Switzerland, talked about Switzerland’s acclaimed dual vocational education system—where one-third of learning takes place in classrooms and two-thirds occurs within companies through practical, on-the-job training. He emphasized that nearly two-thirds of Swiss youth opt for vocational pathways, strongly supported by parents and dedicated career guidance centres, making it one of the most successful skill development models in the world.
The audience also engaged with two insightful panel discussions. The first featured representatives from corporates, implementing agencies, and academia, who shared their experiences and future strategies for investing in skill development. The second panel, comprising leaders from aligned industries, offered perspectives on the evolving landscape and the future of skilling in India. Across both discussions, speakers underscored the reasons behind sustained investments, the changing needs of the sector, and the crucial role of collaboration between government, industry, and academia in strengthening the skilling ecosystem. The event also saw the launch of a detailed report capturing the growth journey and impact of the SEDI program.
Talking about the event, Pearl Tiwari, CEO, Ambuja Foundation said, “These discussions reaffirm our conviction that skilling will lead the path to achieve the ‘Viksit Bharat’ target. Building a future-ready India requires more than just creating jobs. It demands empowering individuals, particularly those facing barriers due to education, economic background, or other challenges, with the essential skills. Therefore, we firmly believe that collaboration between social development organisations, corporate world and government will keep on bringing a meaningful, systemic change in society.
The event brought together over 150 direct and indirect stakeholders development practitioners, government representatives, civil society organisations, corporates engaged with this issue, policy makers, academics and experts.
Ambuja Foundation runs 51 Skill and Entrepreneurship Development Institutes (SEDI) across 13 states, empowering youth with employable skills. Till date SEDI has trained over 1.34 lakh rural youth, equipping them for sustainable livelihoods.
