In a strategic move to address the growing skill gap in India’s workforce, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has joined hands with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to launch the India Skills Accelerator — a collaborative national platform designed to reshape and strengthen the country’s skilling ecosystem.
The initiative was unveiled during a high-level roundtable held at Kaushal Bhawan in New Delhi, bringing together leaders from government, industry, and academia to chart a future-ready roadmap for India’s talent development.
At its core, the India Skills Accelerator aims to achieve three pivotal goals: increasing awareness of emerging skill demands, promoting stronger public-private partnerships, and upgrading institutional frameworks to build a more adaptive and resilient skilling environment.
The initiative is being spearheaded by Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Education. He is joined by Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, Minister of State for Education and Development of the North-Eastern Region, who will serve as the co-chair. From the industry, Shobana Kamineni, Executive Chairperson of Apollo HealthCo, and Sanjiv Bajaj, Chairman and MD of Bajaj Finserv, will provide strategic guidance as private sector co-chairs.
In his opening address, Minister Chaudhary highlighted the importance of aligning India’s skilling strategies with global trends, citing the nation’s demographic strength, digital momentum, and developmental drive as key enablers. “India is at a historic crossroads—where our youth population, technological evolution, and policy focus converge to offer a transformative opportunity. To unlock this potential, our skilling system must be dynamic and globally attuned,” he remarked.
Echoing this vision, Dr. Majumdar emphasized India’s capability to become a global talent hub, especially in high-demand sectors such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and cloud technology. He noted that the National Education Policy has already laid the groundwork by enabling vocational and digital skilling pathways.
WEF Managing Director Saadia Zahidi reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to the initiative. “Strengthening synergy across India’s skill development landscape will not only help close critical talent gaps but also accelerate the nation’s digital and innovation-driven economy,” she stated.
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Participants of the roundtable proposed a structured approach, including the identification of 10 to 12 strategic priorities with measurable outcomes. They also recommended forming dedicated working groups to oversee implementation and track milestones through WEF’s Global Learning Network, facilitating both peer learning and international benchmarking.
The session saw participation from key stakeholders, including senior representatives from MSDE, WEF, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Directorate General of Training (DGT), the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), Ministry of Education, University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), CBSE, and NCERT.
