Pratham’s Youth and Skilling program equips young people (18–35 years) from disadvantaged backgrounds with employable skills and provides them access to jobs, entrepreneurship, and further education. The program delivers structured courses and livelihood opportunities in five domains: Care Economy, STEM-aligned trades, Green Skills, IT-enabled services, and Travel & Tourism. Pratham’s affiliations include the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and multiple Sector Skill Councils.
In 2020, Pratham re-designed its training models to incorporate digital resources and launched the Hybrid Skilling program, with the primary focus of helping youth find employment in the post-pandemic world.
NEW BEGINNINGS WITH SKILLING
CONTEXT
India has one of the youngest and largest workforce in the world, with 250 million youth expected to enter the working population over the next 10 years. However, less than 5% of India’s workforce is formally skilled and over 80% of the labour force is engaged in the informal economy. There is a significant gap between the aspirations and abilities of youth. Training youth in vocational courses and entrepreneurship which are aligned with industry demands will help to ensure that the enormous gap between youth aspirations and abilities begins to close.
REACH & SCALE
Pratham runs more than 185 training centres and 1,000 Community Training Camps across 18 states and 1 Union Territory in India with a placement rate of over 85 percent.
Since its inception, the program has enabled more than 3 lakh youth across the country access industry-specific training and placement opportunities through a network of over 2,000 employers. In 2024-25, more than 1.2 lakh youth enrolled in vocational and non-vocational courses.
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APPROACH
Pratham’s training model is based on strong industry linkages, counselling and hands-on skills training as illustrated below:
LEVEL 1
Self-learning awareness courses on trades and career paths.
Duration of 2 days.
LEVEL 2
Theoretical training by the trainers, virtually or in-person.
Duration of 10-15 days.
LEVEL 3
Practical skills training with expert trainers.
Duration of 30-45 days.
In addition to industry-specific skills, students are also offered basic English, computer literacy and life skills. Pratham currently offers certifications related to the following domains:
- Care Economy: Beauty, Apparel, Hospitality, Healthcare
- STEM-aligned Trades: Electrical, Automotive, Welding, Construction
- Green Skills: Solar Panel Repair, Plumbing, Drywall, and False Ceiling Repair
- IT Enabled Services (ITeS): Multi-functional Office Assistant, Graphic Design, Automotive Showroom Host
- Travel & Tourism
Apart from youth, Pratham also trains informal economy workers through two pathways:
- For those who are already running micro-enterprises, Pratham provides mentoring and training in the fields of beauty, tailoring, automotive, food production and construction.
- For uncertified workers, Pratham provides upskilling and certification in the fields of construction, domestic work, gig work and more.
A unique aspect of Pratham’s vocational training model is the focus on post-placement tracking and support. Youth are tracked and mentored for one year after graduation to encourage them to sustain in the workforce.
CONTACT
Write to us at info@pratham.org or visit: www.prathamskilling.org
