The job market has never been about skills alone. It’s always been about people — their confidence, communication, adaptability and ability to grow with change.
According to a 2023 NASSCOM report, over 40% of Indian employers now prioritise soft skills and personality traits over academic qualifications. The reason is quite simple. While education builds knowledge, employability depends on how well people can apply it.
Every year, India produces more than 1.5 million engineering graduates. But, only about a quarter are considered employable in the IT sector. The issue isn’t lack of technical training but the absence of communication skills, professional confidence and workplace readiness.
A 2022 LinkedIn India survey finds that 76% of recruiters believe soft skills will matter more than hard skills in the next five years. India’s workforce is evolving. Our education-to-employment model must evolve with it.
That’s where Smile Foundation’s Smile Twin e-Learning Programme (STeP) comes in — an initiative designed not just to train, but to transform.
Beyond Skills, Towards Self-Belief
STeP stands out because it recognises that employability is not a course, it’s a journey.
Unlike many skill development programmes that narrowly focus on vocational or technical training, STeP builds a bridge between knowledge and the real world. It combines domain skills with communication, digital literacy, financial awareness, personality development and mental well-being.
This layered approach makes young people not only employable but ready to walk into interviews with confidence, to speak with clarity, to navigate digital tools and to adapt when things change.
For young people from underserved communities, this distinction is powerful. It transforms opportunity from a distant idea into something tangible and lasting.
Rethinking What Education Should Do
Education has always been viewed as the foundation of national progress. Yet in India, despite reforms and rising enrolment, millions still struggle to turn education into employment.
The problem isn’t learning; it’s what we teach. A system rooted in rote learning and exam scores often sidelines the very qualities that shape professional success — communication, emotional intelligence, teamwork and self-awareness.
Recognising this gap, forward-thinking institutions like NIIT, TISS and even IITs are integrating leadership and communication modules into their curricula. Corporate training companies such as Dale Carnegie India are doing the same for young professionals entering the workforce.
Being “job-ready” today means possessing a well-rounded skill set: technical competence, yes — but also confidence, collaboration and adaptability. In a digital economy, that means being equally fluent in technology and human connection.
Workplace etiquette, grooming, emotional intelligence and stress management all matter. They determine how people show up — not just for interviews, but for life.
This is why STeP’s model resonates. It treats employability not as a checklist but as a continuum — where technical training meets emotional preparedness, and learning never really ends.
A World of New Careers
The pandemic reshaped economies and also redrew the map of employability itself.
Industries like hospitality and travel slowed, while digital, healthcare and financial services surged. Emerging sectors — from fintech and e-commerce to data analytics, renewable energy and digital marketing — now define the future of work.
Success in these fields demands hybrid skills: a mix of technical proficiency, digital fluency, creativity and interpersonal strength. People who can communicate well, adapt quickly and collaborate effectively are the ones who thrive.
Traditional education models rarely prepare youth for this. But programmes like STeP do — by teaching adaptability as a life skill.
STeP’s “job-ready” approach doesn’t prepare youth for just one job. It equips them for a lifetime of learning and reinvention — a future where change is not a threat but an invitation to grow.
Matching India’s Workforce to India’s Job-ready Future
Recognising the shifts in the labour market, Smile Foundation identified three sectors where demand and opportunity intersect — Healthcare, Digital Marketing and BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance).
Each of these sectors has witnessed massive growth and requires a workforce that can combine empathy, skill and adaptability.
To address this, Smile Foundation began expanding its network of training centres nationwide. In November 2020, three dedicated centres were launched in Bengaluru, Delhi and Talegaon (near Pune), offering young learners a pathway into the digital economy.
In healthcare, where the pandemic revealed both the fragility and the necessity of frontline work, STeP responded swiftly. Forty-five healthcare training centres were established in October 2020, followed by nine more in June 2021 and twelve in July 2021. These centres train youth to become home caregivers, nurses, hospital assistants and ambulance staff — the unsung backbone of India’s health system.
Across all its programmes, STeP maintains a remarkable record. Over 9,000 young individuals have been trained and more than 5,500 are placed in meaningful jobs. Even more tellingly, 96% of enrolled students qualify for STeP certification, demonstrating both skill mastery and programme quality.
Why “Job-Ready” Means Sustainable
The sustainability of STeP’s model lies in its foresight. By marrying technical competence with life skills and by aligning its curriculum with market realities, STeP ensures its learners stay relevant even as industries change. Its impact is felt across families and communities, not only through income generation but through agency.
A young woman trained in healthcare not only earns for her family but becomes a symbol of resilience in her community. A young man trained in digital marketing gains not just a job, but a voice in a fast-changing digital world.
A Model for the Future
India’s demographic dividend will only be meaningful if its youth are empowered with skills that are future-facing, inclusive and humane.
Smile Foundation’s STeP model offers a blueprint for that future — one where education is not an endpoint but a springboard, and where learning prepares young people not only to earn, but to grow.
Sustainability, after all, is not about duration — it’s about transformation. And every STeP trainee who walks into a workplace with confidence is living proof of that change.
