The youth comprises over 22% of the Indian population which in turn constitutes a major part of the labour force of the country.

But according to the reports of the Financial Express “Only 15%of the young graduates passing out of colleges are employable; the rest are branded ‘unemployable’.”

It is not their lack of theoretical knowledge that causes this. Instead, it is the lack of right skills and attitude. There is thus, an increasing concern among the leading employers of the country, about the dearth of ready-to-deliver employees.

In addition, the macro perspective affirms that, it is crucial for such young energy to be channelized correctly in economic growth and nation building to elude their addition to family woes, social stress and national misery.

Smile Twin E- learning Programme (STeP) is such an initiative of Smile Foundation that aims at creating a pool of young and independent people, from the marginalized section, through skill enhancement in tandem with market requirements. It is an effort towards bridging the gap between demand and supply of skilled manpower in the fast emerging services and retail sectors of modern India.

This national level programme trains the urban underprivileged adolescent youth in English Proficiency, Basic Computer Education and Soft Skills for enhancing their prospects of employment in the fast expanding retail, hospitality and BPO sectors.