Building India's Workforce of Tomorrow

STEP Foundation - Skilling, Training & Employability for Prosperity.
We drive systemic transformation across India's skilling ecosystem to ensure every young Indian is employable by 2047.

The Scale of the Problem

India is entering a once-in-a-generation workforce expansion window - yet lagging preparedness constrains the demographic dividend.

India's total labour force

0 Mn

Youth entering the labour force every year

0 Mn

Year India's demographic dividend peaks

India's blue- and grey-collar workforce

0 Mn

Youth who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training)

0 %

Formally trained workers - lowest among major economies

0 %

Trained but unemployed - nearly half can't find quality jobs

0 %

The Core Problem

Skills Gap

Limited industry alignment, slow curriculum responsiveness, gaps in trainer capability, inadequate infrastructure, lack of quality assessments

Experience Gap

Limited access to work-based learning, weak industry linkages and placement ecosystems, absence of structured lifelong learning pathways

Information Gap

Persistent information asymmetries, limited data on jobs, weak career guidance, inadequate tracking of employment outcomes

Our Approach

Build the Evidence Base

Strengthen Core Institutions

Scale High-Impact Programmes

Featured

UP Pilot

Invest UP is a live laboratory for validating STEP's hypotheses at scale — with 3,500+ institutions mapped, 25+ industries consulted, and a live demand-supply intelligence layer being built.

Early Wins

NCVET Research Advisory Committee

Authoring reform recommendations for India's Apex Vocational Regulator

Kaushal Connect Cell

Designated official skills connect unit for Invest UP

ITI Reforms

Training the Trainers — upgrading NSTIs under PM SETU scheme

Apprenticeships Reform

National roadmap for MSDE; shaped NITI Aayog's Apprenticeship Act report

District Demand Planning

Commissioned by MSDE for Baghpat (UP) and Bharatpur (Rajasthan)