Dr. B.K Chakravarty, Dean, School of Design Innovation, Mahindra University
“’Skills for a Shared Future’ goes beyond preparing students for their first job; it is about equipping them to address challenges that have yet to emerge. Technological competence with creativity, empathy, critical thinking, sustainability and an entrepreneurial mindset must be combined by graduates to make them future-ready. A new model making strong industry partnerships, experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration the norm is vital. Continuous learning and adaptability will be the defining skills of the future as digital transformation reshapes every sector. At Mahindra University’s School of Design innovation, we believe education must integrate academic rigour with real projects from industry, enabling students not only to succeed in a rapidly evolving global workforce but also to become innovators and responsible leaders who create meaningful impact for society.”
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Vice Chancellor at World University of Design
“World Youth Skills Day is a reminder that the most valuable skills of the future will not simply be technical. They will be deeply human. As artificial intelligence automates routine tasks and even augments specialised knowledge, the real differentiators will be creativity, critical thinking, empathy, ethical judgement and the ability to solve complex problems across disciplines. The jobs of tomorrow will increasingly belong to those who can imagine possibilities, design meaningful experiences and translate ideas into innovations that improve lives.
At World University of Design, we believe creativity is not confined to the arts; it is an economic capability and a driver of entrepreneurship, sustainability and social transformation. Our responsibility is not merely to prepare students for existing careers, but to equip them with the mindset and skills to create entirely new opportunities in a rapidly evolving world. That, ultimately, is what future-ready education should aspire to achieve.”
Bhagwati Chhabbarwal Shetty, CHRO, Comviva
“The rapidly evolving digital landscape demands that we move beyond legacy, template-driven talent frameworks towards ecosystem-wide skill integration. We believe the focus now must be on equipping young talent to play on a world stage by building future-ready capabilities while moving beyond template careers to thrive in cross-functional innovation environments.
At Comviva, we are translating this philosophy into action by building sustainable talent pipelines through stronger industry-academia engagement. We hire extensively from leading institutions, including IITs, NITs, IIITs and other premier universities, bringing in talented young professionals who contribute across high-impact areas such as AI, data science, fintech and digital engineering. Through curated learning journeys and a culture of continuous skill reboot, we enable them to build future-ready capabilities, earn mobility with merit, collaborate across disciplines and solve for billions. The goal is not just to help the next generation adapt to technological change, but to empower them to shape the future of digital transformation.”
Agendra Kumar, Managing Director, Esri India
“Youth drive national development by acting as the primary engines of economic growth, technological innovation, and social change. To be able to create maximum impact, they need strong technical knowledge and skills in advanced technologies like GIS, AI, and machine learning. At Esri India, we are committed to empowering youth with industry-relevant knowledge, hands-on experience, and future-ready skills in geospatial and emerging technologies. Through initiatives like the GIS Academia Council of India (GACI), we bring academia and industry together to strengthen GIS education, shape industry-aligned curricula, and foster interdisciplinary learning, enabling students to develop innovative GIS- and AI-enabled solutions for governance, business, and sustainable development. We believe that investing in these capabilities today will enable India’s youth to build a more resilient, inclusive, and shared future.”
Manisha Dubey, Head of IDEMIA India Foundation
“On World Youth Skills Day, we must redefine how we measure the success of skilling initiatives. The true metric is not how many young people we train, but how many we empower with meaningful employment. Skills must translate into livelihoods, confidence, and long-term careers. At IDEMIA India Foundation, we are proud that 92% of the youth graduating from our employability programs have secured jobs. This reinforces our belief that industry-aligned, outcome-driven training can create lasting social impact.
Equally important is ensuring that no one is left behind. Our inclusive skilling programs for hearing-impaired youth and young adults on the autism spectrum are helping unlock talent that is often overlooked. Every young person deserves the opportunity to build a future with dignity and purpose.The future of skilling lies in continuously upgrading curricula, embracing emerging technologies, strengthening industry partnerships, and providing real-world exposure that prepares young people for evolving workplaces. Investing in quality, relevance, and inclusion is the key to building a workforce that is ready for tomorrow and an economy that leaves no talent behind.”
Navneet Kaushik, CHRO, Invenia-STL Networks
“World Youth Skills Day is a reminder that skills are the bridge between potential and opportunity. As industries evolve and technology reshapes how we work, the ability to learn, unlearn, and adapt matters more than any single qualification.
At Invenia-STL Networks, we have worked with our partner to rebuild a science lab from the ground up at a government school in Jammu and trained teachers on AI-assisted teaching tools. Real skilling means giving people the infrastructure and the confidence to solve problems with their own hands, not just theory on a page.
When we invest in young people’s skills, we’re not just preparing them for jobs of the future; we’re building more inclusive economies, stronger communities, and a generation capable of leading meaningful change. This is a responsibility every industry, institution, and individual must share.”
Gautam Sharma, Managing Director, Viasat India
“As India cements its position as a global hub for space technology and digital innovation, empowering young people with future-ready skills is no longer just an educational priority, it is an economic imperative. Satellite communications is emerging as a foundational technology for the future, enabling resilient connectivity across aviation, maritime, disaster response, remote communities, defence, IoT and the broader digital economy. Realizing this opportunity requires a workforce equipped with specialized, industry-relevant skills. At Viasat India, we are helping bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application through our strategic partnership with BSNL at BRBRAITT, Jabalpur, where we have introduced specialized satellite communications courses for engineering students and early-career professionals.
Complementing this are initiatives such as our ‘Space for Good’ challenge and our upcoming Centre of Excellence focused on IoT and UAV innovations, which encourage young innovators to apply deep-tech solutions to real-world challenges. By embedding industry-grade satellite technology skills into India’s talent pipeline today, we are helping build a highly skilled, inclusive and globally competitive workforce that can power the country’s expanding space economy for decades to come.”
Mr. Diwakar Mehrotra, Vice President – GroupAR, Europe & Africa
“India’s automotive aftermarket sector is evolving faster with technological advancement and colour innovations in car manufacturing than our talent pipeline can keep pace with. We’re manufacturing more, and producing cars with advanced and vibrant hues, finishes and textures, but the country still faces a real shortage of trained paint and colour technicians i.e. the skilled and knowledgeable people who actually execute quality on the job. This isn’t a future problem; it’s already showing up as a bottleneck for manufacturers, bodyshops, and distributors today. At Nippon Paint India, we believe closing this gap is as much an industry responsibility as it is a CSR commitment. Through Project Rangshala, we are training underserved youth in practical application and colour matching skills including digital tools usage, and workplace readiness. If India wants its manufacturing ambitions to hold up, we need to invest in the hands that build it.”