As India’s youth face an increasingly complex and competitive job market, the conversation around employability is shifting from degrees to real-world capabilities. At the forefront of this transformation is Mr. Ramesh Swamy, Director of Unnati Foundation, who offers a compelling perspective on how grassroots upskilling programs are bridging the critical gap between academic education and job readiness. In this interview, Mr. Swamy discusses Unnati’s two-decade journey in empowering underserved youth through its UNXT program, the growing relevance of life skills and communication, and the foundation’s data-driven approach to impact measurement. He also touches on Unnati’s landmark listing on the Social Stock Exchange and the roadmap for scaling their vision in a fast-evolving digital economy.
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Q. How does Unnati Foundation define employability in today’s evolving job landscape, especially for India's young and diverse population?
A. We started Unnati Foundation with one goal in mind - to help young people become employable. Employability doesn’t just mean getting a job. It means building capabilities in an individual to ensure that they can build a long term sustainable career. That’s the core idea on which we started Unnati.
A few decades ago, an individual could find a job if they had a specific skill set or technical skill. However, in the current job market technical skills alone aren’t enough. For a person to have long term employment, they need to have the right communication skills, problem solving mindset, decision making ability and adaptability.
At Unnati, we focus on all-round development and training of individuals who enroll with us. We make them job ready by focusing on aspects such as building confidence, improving communications skills, instilling the right workplace values, etc. We want to help individuals to not just find jobs but to thrive in them.
Q. With over two decades of grassroots work, how has Unnati's vision for workforce readiness evolved alongside changes in India's education and employment sectors?
A. Unnati's vision has never been about altering the broader Indian education system, but rather about complementing it by addressing a critical gap — employability among underprivileged youth. Over the past two decades, as India’s education and employment landscapes have evolved, so hasUnnati’s focus. We've recognized that while academic qualifications are increasing, many young people, particularly from underserved communities, still lack the practical skills and confidence required to succeed in today's competitive job market. Our mission has been to bridge that gap by equipping them with job-relevant skills, soft skills, and life skills that directly align with current industry needs. This targeted upskilling empowers them not just to find employment, but to thrive in it, ensuring that economic opportunities become accessible and sustainable for all.
Q. Why do you think there remains such a persistent gap between academic qualifications and actual job readiness among Indian graduates?
A. Today, the real issue young people face isn’t just about getting an education — it’s that they don’t have the right skills to get hired. Most college courses don’t prepare students for what’s actually needed in the workplace. The India Skills Report 2025 shows that only around 55% of graduates in India are ready for jobs. That’s a worrying sign and could seriously affect the country’s growth in the long run.
There’s a clear mismatch between what students learn in college and what companies expect from them. We’ve put so much focus on getting degrees, but not enough on building real, practical skills. If we want to fix this, we need to come together and create better ways for young people to get the training they actually need. Programs like the ones we offer, that focus on making them truly job-ready.
Q. The UNXT program stands out for its emphasis on communication, workplace readiness, and values. Why were these particular skill areas prioritized, and how do they shape long term employability?
A. The UNXT Program is all about helping students get ready for real jobs, not just on paper, but in the ways that actually matter. It runs for about 200 hours over a month and mixes online and classroom learning. We cover things like how to talk well in a corporate setup, solve everyday problems, think clearly, behave professionally, and pick up life skills that are useful anywhere. Most students come in unsure, but by the end of the program, they’re more confident, can speak up in interviews, apply to jobs without second-guessing themselves, and have a clearer idea of what they want next.
What we teach stays with them. It’s not just about landing one job, it changes how they carry themselves. Think of it this way: if you have two students, one who scores great marks but finds it hard to speak up, and another who might not top exams but can talk with ease and present ideas. The second one often gets hired first. That’s because companies don’t just want smart people, they want people who can work well with others and communicate clearly. These are the kinds of skills that open doors.
Q. Can you describe the impact of the UNXT program at an individual level? Are there specific stories or transformations that have stayed with you?
A. Over the past few years, our UNXT program has reached more than 2.3 lakh young people across the country, working closely with over 2,000 colleges. What’s worth noting is that all of this was done completely offline — our team has travelled to some of the most remote areas to deliver these sessions in person, right inside the colleges we partner with. Today, we’re active in 14 states across India.
As a result of this effort, more than 30% of the students we’ve trained are now employed, and another 30% have gone on to pursue higher studies. For those who’ve completed their graduation, Unnati also helps facilitate job placements — all they need to do is get in touch with us.
To support them even further, we’ve created a portal called Udhyogam. Here, young people can build their resumes and even upload a video introduction. This platform is shared with potential employers, who can directly connect with candidates based on their profiles and video resumes.
Yes, we have a number of stories that have truly stayed with us.
One of them -
Jyothi Pandey introduces herself in a rapid clip of English--she says she has 20 minutes to spare before she must return to work. Jyothi works at Magic bricks, where it’s her job to verify listings on the site to ensure they are not fraudulent.
In February of 2024, her father had seen an ad for Unnati in the newspaper and brought home a pamphlet, suggesting she do a computer course alongside the open university degree she was pursuing. The Centre was quite close to where she lived so when she went down to enquire about the program, she enrolled immediately.
Jyothi’s favorite part of the day was introducing herself in the mornings, “It really improved my communication skills. Basically, my English has always been good but I struggled with spoken English. I used to try and fumble some sentences but as I kept trying, I got much better. The interview I gave for this job went very well because of this; I had become quite practiced.”
During the early days of her training Jyothi almost left the program—she felt they were treating their students like children. In her frustration, she approached a trainer, who convinced her to stick it out for a few more days on the condition that if she still feels that the program was wrong for her, she’s free to leave. She decided to give it a shot and in around a week she went back to the trainer—this time to say she’d like to stay and that she had found value in what was being taught. The same trainer had recommended Jyothi’s current job to her. “Similar to Unnati, I was afraid at first but I’ve come to like my job, this is a decent place to work, the working environment is good here.”
Jyothi’s has plans to open a small business selling handmade paper jewelry. She has a passion and tenacity in her voice that is infectious; she believes in herself. Her longterm goal that pushes her to be her best every day is to eventually own her own home.
Q. In 2024 alone, Unnati trained over 1.26 lakh youth. What mechanisms do you use to measure the long-term impact of your training on employment outcomes and job retention?
A. At Unnati, we are deeply committed not just to training youth but to ensuring that our programs lead to meaningful, long-term employment outcomes. Measuring impact is central to our work, especially as we've scaled from an initial target of just 10,000 youth per year to training over 1.26 lakh in 2024.
Many of the youth we serve come from government colleges that lack the necessary infrastructure and exposure to the digital and technical sectors. Often, these students cannot afford the high fees charged by private training institutes, and the limited knowledge they receive through conventional channels leaves them underprepared for today’s job market. This is where Unnati’s low-cost, intensive training steps in to fill the gap.
We focus not only on employability skills—such as communication, self-confidence, and professional behavior—but also on building a mindset that empowers youth to succeed in diverse environments. Our training equips them to "speak out," carry themselves with confidence, and manage responsibilities effectively, which significantly enhances their job readiness.
To measure long-term impact, we implement several mechanisms:
- Post-Placement Tracking: We monitor the employment status of participants at regular intervals—3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after placement—to assess retention and career progression.
- Alumni Feedback & Employer Surveys: We gather insights from both alumni and employers to evaluate job performance, workplace adaptability, and areas for program improvement.
- Udyogam Platform: Through our partnership with Udyogam, we facilitate and track employment linkages, helping us understand which sectors our alumni are thriving in and what additional support they may need.
- Community Engagement: We maintain regular contact with local communities and families to understand the broader social and economic impact of our training.
What began with minimal corporate support and a modest goal has grown rapidly. Today, even government colleges are reaching out to collaborate with us, recognizing the tangible impact Unnati has had. Our CSR partners have been instrumental in scaling our efforts, allowing us to reach and transform the lives of lakhs of youth. While training over a lakh students in a single year is no small feat, our data-driven, community-centric approach ensures that the impact goes far beyond the classroom.
Q. What role do corporate CSR partnerships play in scaling the UNXT program, and how do you ensure alignment between social impact goals and funding expectations?
A. Corporate CSR partnerships play a crucial role in scaling the UNXT program and amplifying our reach to underserved youth, particularly those studying in government colleges and institutions that often lack adequate infrastructure and resources. By focusing on these government colleges, we are able to reach a larger and more diverse group of youth, ensuring that the benefits of skill development are more widely distributed.
CSR partners bring not only financial support but also strategic guidance, helping us scale rapidly while maintaining program quality. Their involvement enables us to expand training capacity, improve infrastructure, and innovate our curriculum to stay relevant with industry demands. Importantly, these partnerships allow us to train significantly larger numbers of youth than we could independently, thus maximizing social impact.
To ensure alignment between social impact goals and funding expectations, we maintain a transparent and collaborative approach. We work closely with CSR teams to establish clear, measurable outcomes—such as the number of youth trained, placed, and retained in jobs—and regularly share progress reports. This helps build trust and ensures that funding is effectively translating into meaningful impact on the ground.
Additionally, by focusing on government colleges where the need is greatest, we demonstrate to our CSR partners that their investment directly contributes to empowering marginalized youth and creating equitable opportunities. This alignment of mission and measurable impact helps secure continued support and fosters long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships.
Q. Unnati is India’s first NGO to be listed on both NSE and BSE’s Social Stock Exchange. How has this listing enhanced your operations, visibility, or trust among stakeholders?
A. Becoming the first NGO to list on NSE and BSE's Social Stock Exchange was a milestone for us. Being listed brings a new level of financial transparency and accountability, and it helps in building donor trust. In addition, it also opens up new avenues for raising funds from a varied group of social investors who are looking for meaningful and high impact initiatives.
We believe that nonprofit organizations should have the seriousness, structure and the transparency that any other enterprise follows. The SSE Listing is a good way to demonstrate that.
Q. With a target of training 2 lakh youth by the end of this year, what are the key challenges—logistical, financial, or social—you foresee in reaching that milestone?
A. At Unnati, we run a 35-day intensive training program for youth aged 18 to 25 across more than 40 centers, with immediate job placement following the training. While our goal to train 2 lakh youth by year-end is ambitious, it comes with a range of challenges.
Firstly, many young people have difficulty distinguishing between different skill development programs, which affects their engagement and enrollment. We also need extensive mobilization efforts to reach and motivate the right candidates, especially in remote areas where awareness is low.
Building strong local partnerships for job placements is crucial but can be complicated due to varying expectations from employers. On the social front, one major hurdle is changing the mindset that academic degrees are the only path to success. We also encounter attitudinal barriers—like lack of discipline or unrealistic expectations among some youth—which require continuous guidance.
Parental restrictions, particularly for girls, often limit their ability to participate fully, impacting inclusivity. Additionally, some trainees choose to opt out of placements to pursue further education, self-employment, or to support family businesses.
Another significant challenge is securing approval and cooperation from government colleges to run our programs on their campuses. This can be a lengthy process due to bureaucratic procedures and differing priorities, which sometimes slows down our ability to scale rapidly.
Lastly, the broader systemic issue remains: there’s often a disconnect between skill training and actual employment opportunities. Despite these challenges, we stay committed to equipping youth with meaningful skills and creating sustainable pathways for their livelihoods.
Q. Looking ahead, how does Unnati plan to adapt its skilling programs to align with the demands of emerging industries, digital transformation, and future-of-work trends?
A. At Unnati, we understand that the world of work is changing rapidly, driven by digital transformation, automation, and the rise of new industries. To keep our training programs aligned with these shifts, we’re working closely with industry bodies and sector skill councils. These partnerships help us stay updated on emerging trends and allow us to regularly upgrade our curriculum with relevant, in-demand skills—particularly in areas like digital literacy, communication, adaptability, and technology-enabled tools.
A key part of our strategy is to encourage these industry bodies and employers to look beyond traditional hiring channels and consider youth graduating from local government colleges—who often don’t have access to premium training but have immense potential. Through our advocacy and outcomes, we're helping change that narrative.
Additionally, we benefit greatly from the involvement of volunteers from our CSR donor organizations. These professionals bring real-world industry experience and directly interact with our students through workshops, mentorship, and guest lectures. Their insights help our youth better understand the evolving job market, workplace expectations, and how to stay competitive in a digital-first economy. This exposure builds confidence, practical awareness, and bridges the gap between classroom learning and industry realities.
We’re also piloting modular and blended learning formats to make our programs more flexible and accessible, especially for those in remote areas. This way, Unnati not only provides immediate job readiness but also future-proofs young people for long-term career success.
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