An alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur and Stanford University, Pravesh Dudani is Founder-Chancellor of Medhavi Skills University (Sikkim) and Founder-Director of the Medhavi Foundation. Excerpts from an interview with Dilip Thakore:

What considerations inspired the establishment of Medhavi Skills University (MSU) in 2021? 

The idea emerged from nearly a decade of work through the Medhavi Foundation, where we trained thousands of young people through short-term skill programmes. We realised that skills alone were not enough; young people also required the dignity, social recognition and mobility associated with higher education qualifications.

At the same time, traditional higher education was producing large numbers of graduates who lacked employable skills. We therefore conceived Medhavi Skills University as a bridge between education and employment for building a Skills-First India. Our objective was to make degrees more relevant and meaningful, and to integrate skills with formal degree programmes through experiential learning and apprenticeships in industry-settings and through industry-led curriculum design.

To what extent have these objectives been attained?

We have made significant progress, but our journey has only begun. The university has successfully established an industry-integrated model where students learn through a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job training.

MSU’s industry partners actively participate in curriculum design, training and apprenticeships. This has improved employability outcomes. However, given India’s scale and the fact that only around 15-20 universities seriously focus on skills supplemented higher education, much more needs to be done. If India has to meaningfully improve employability outcomes nationwide, education institutions must adopt a skills-first approach, while industry must move beyond consuming talent to actively co-creating it.

A mere 4 percent of India’s workforce is formally skilled compared to South Korea’s 96 percent. To what factors do you attribute this neglect of formal skills education?

India’s challenge is not just a shortage of formal skills training; it is also a shortage of respect for skills. For decades, India has placed greater value on degrees than competencies. Families celebrate engineering and management graduates, but seldom accord the same respect to skilled technicians, electricians, plumbers, despite their critical economic contribution. As a result, vocational education has remained disconnected from mainstream education and social aspiration.

The solution is twofold: integrate skills-based education with formal qualifications and make industry a co-creator of education through apprenticeships, curriculum design, and workplace learning. Equally important is changing mindsets. India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat@2047 will depend not only on creating more skilled workers but also on elevating the dignity and status of skilled professions.

How early should vocational and experiential education be introduced in K-12 education?

Vocational exposure should begin in middle school, ideally around class VII-VIII. However at this stage, the objective should not be early career specialisation, but discovery. Students should be exposed to different types of hands-on work — engineering, healthcare, design, carpentry, electrical, coding and community service — so they can understand their interests and aptitudes. In classes IX-XII, they should engage in projects, field experiences and exposure to multiple vocations.

India urgently needs AI and digital technologies education alongside vocational education and training. It also needs easily accessible vocational education for adults. Your comment?

India requires a three-tier approach. First, schools must provide vocational exposure and experiential learning to help students discover their aptitudes. Second, higher education institutions must integrate AI, emerging technologies and workplace learning into mainstream programmes.

Third, we need accessible vocational and career-transition opportunities for adults. In developed countries, community colleges and vocational schools allow adults to learn new trades, switch careers and upgrade skills throughout life. India needs a much larger ecosystem of such institutions to promote upskilling. We also need systems to recognise prior learning. A robust assessment and certification framework would improve employability, productivity and social recognition.

Why are traditional universities struggling to produce employable graduates?

The core problem is in curriculum design. Most universities focus heavily on theory, while industry seeks practical competencies, problem-solving ability, and workplace readiness. The solution is not to choose between academic rigour and skills, but to integrate the two. Universities must evolve from being centres of knowledge to becoming ecosystems where learning and work are seamlessly connected. Only then can we ensure that graduates aren’t just degree holders, but confident, capable, professionals ready to contribute from day one.