Date: 2026-06-01Category: Press ReleaseState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
India Skills Accelerator Roundtable Brings Together Government, Industry and Global Leaders to Chart Roadmap for Closing Skills Gaps and Strengthening India's Position as a Global Talent Hub
**Executive Summary**
On June 1, 2026, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, convened the India Skills Accelerator (ISA) High-Level Roundtable in New Delhi. The event aimed to chart a roadmap for closing skills gaps and strengthening India’s position as a global talent hub by aligning workforce readiness with emerging technologies. The outcomes of these deliberations will directly inform the implementation roadmap for the ISA initiative.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Initiative Overview and Purpose**
* The India Skills Accelerator (ISA) is part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Accelerators Network and was approved by the Union Cabinet in January 2026.
* The initiative seeks to foster public-private collaboration to align skilling systems with evolving labour market needs.
* The core theme of the roundtable was "From Insight to Action: Closing Skills Gaps for Growth."
* **Strategic Focus Areas**
* **Emerging Sectors:** Priority is placed on workforce readiness in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, supply chains, and the green economy.
* **Financing and Models:** Development of innovative skills financing models and structured public-private collaboration.
* **Workforce Transformation:** Focus on building agile, future-ready talent to support the "Viksit Bharat 2047" vision and enhance global competitiveness.
* **Roundtable Objectives**
* Identifying key forces shaping India’s labour market.
* Validating priority interventions to address critical skills gaps.
* Building a coalition of stakeholders, including government, industry, academia, and international organizations, to advance the ISA agenda.
**Impact Analysis**
**Government (MSDE, Ministry of Education, and other Ministries)**
**Impact**
The government serves as the host and primary coordinator of the ISA, responsible for aligning national skilling systems with technological and economic shifts.
**Action Required**
The government must utilize the roundtable outcomes to create an implementation roadmap and maintain coordination between various departments and global partners.
**Industry Leaders (e.g., Apollo HealthCo, Bajaj Finserv, TCS, Reliance Industries)**
**Impact**
Industry players are identified as co-creators of solutions, ensuring that skilling initiatives are demand-driven and keep pace with industrial changes.
**Action Required**
Industry stakeholders are required to engage in structured public-private collaborations and provide insights into the specific skills needed for emerging sectors.
**Academic and Training Institutions (e.g., IIT Delhi, AICTE, UGC, CBSE, NCVET)**
**Impact**
These institutions are responsible for integrating learning with employability and fostering a lifelong learning mindset among the youth.
**Action Required**
Academia must adapt curricula and training models to equip learners with relevant, future-ready skills that meet the demands of modern technology and society.
**International Organizations (World Economic Forum)**
**Impact**
The WEF provides the global framework (Global Accelerators Network) and platform for strengthening coordination between Indian stakeholders and global standards.
**Action Required**
Continued collaboration to support India in shaping its workforce and building an inclusive, resilient economy.
Key Entities Referenced
India Skills Accelerator (ISA): A public-private collaboration initiative hosted by MSDE to align skilling systems with labor market needs and bridge emerging skills gaps in sectors like AI and the green economy.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE): The primary government ministry responsible for hosting the India Skills Accelerator and overseeing India's skilling and workforce ecosystem.
World Economic Forum (WEF): The international partner collaborating on the India Skills Accelerator through its Global Accelerators Network to foster innovative skills financing and workforce readiness.
Viksit Bharat 2047: The strategic vision for a developed India by 2047, serving as the policy framework for building a globally competitive and future-ready workforce.
Global Accelerators Network: The international framework by the World Economic Forum that encompasses the India Skills Accelerator to address global workforce transformation.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
India Skills Accelerator Roundtable Brings
Together Government, Industry and Global
Leaders to Chart Roadmap for Closing Skills
Gaps and Strengthening India's Position as a
Global Talent Hub
Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, Ms. Shobana
Kamineni, Mr. Sanjiv Bajaj Co-Chaired the High-Level
Dialogue on Future of Skills
Posted On: 01 JUN 2026 7:58PM by PIB Delhi
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), in collaboration with the World
Economic Forum (WEF), today convened the High-Level Roundtable of the India Skills Accelerator
(ISA) in New Delhi under the theme "From Insight to Action: Closing Skills Gaps for Growth." The
roundtable brought together leaders from government, industry, academia, international organizations and
development partners to deliberate on priority actions required to bridge emerging skills gaps and
strengthen India's role as a global talent hub.
The India Skills Accelerator, announced in January 2026 following the approval of the Union Cabinet, is
hosted by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and forms part of the World Economic
Forum's Global Accelerators Network. The initiative seeks to foster public-private collaboration to align
skilling systems with evolving labour market needs, develop innovative skills financing models and
accelerate workforce readiness in emerging sectors including artificial intelligence, advanced
manufacturing, supply chains, and the green economy.
The roundtable was co-chaired by Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, Government of India; Dr. Sukanta
Majumdar, Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region, Government of
India; Ms. Shobana Kamineni, Executive Chairperson, Apollo HealthCo Limited; and Mr. Sanjiv Bajaj,
Chairman and Managing Director, Bajaj Finserv. The Co-Chairs were joined by Mr. Mirek Dušek,
Managing Director, World Economic Forum.
The discussions focused on identifying the key forces shaping India's labour market, validating priority
interventions to address critical skills gaps, and building a coalition of stakeholders committed to
advancing the India Skills Accelerator agenda.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, Government of India, said:
"India's demographic strength can become the world's greatest growth engine if we are able to
continuously align skills with the evolving demands of technology, industry and society. The India SkillsAccelerator represents a new model of collaboration where government, industry, academia and global
institutions come together not merely to discuss challenges, but to co-create solutions. As India advances
towards Viksit Bharat 2047, our focus must be on building agile, future-ready and globally competitive
talent that can power innovation and growth both within the country and across the world."
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, Minister of State for Education and Development of
North Eastern Region, Government of India, said: "The future of education and skilling lies in deeper
integration between learning and employability. As technologies transform industries at an unprecedented
pace, it is imperative that our institutions equip learners not only with knowledge but also with relevant
skills, adaptability and a lifelong learning mindset. Through collaborative platforms such as the India
Skills Accelerator, we can build pathways that prepare our youth for opportunities in emerging sectors and
contribute meaningfully to India's growth story."
Ms. Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director, World Economic Forum, said “India is in a strong position to
shape the future of the global workforce. Realizing this opportunity requires strong collaboration between
government, industry and education stakeholders to ensure skills systems keep pace with economic and
technological change. The India Skills Accelerator is an important platform to strengthen this
coordination, align workforce development with industry demand, and help build a more inclusive,
resilient and future-ready economy.”
The roundtable concluded with a shared commitment from stakeholders to advance priority actions
through structured public-private collaboration, with a focus on workforce transformation, skills
financing, emerging technologies and inclusive growth. The outcomes of the deliberations will inform the
implementation roadmap of the India Skills Accelerator and support India's efforts to strengthen its
position as a leading global talent hub.
The roundtable witnessed participation from a diverse group of leaders representing government, industry,
academia and international organisations. Industry leaders included representatives from Apollo Hospitals,
Bajaj Finserv, JSW Group, Mahindra Group, RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS),
Wipro, Reliance Foundation, ReNew, IBM, Bharat Seats Ltd., and Reliance Industries Limited. The
discussions were further enriched by participation from the World Economic Forum, Confederation of
Indian Industry (CII), FICCI, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), IIT Delhi–FITT, AICTE, UGC,
CBSE, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of External Affairs, NCVET, NSDC, MSDE and other key
stakeholders from India's skilling and workforce ecosystem.
About the India Skills Accelerator
The India Skills Accelerator is part of the World Economic Forum's Global Accelerators Network and is
hosted by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The platform aims to close skills gaps,
strengthen workforce readiness and foster innovative multi-stakeholder solutions to support India's
economic growth and competitiveness in the future of work.***
SH
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