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Our Beneficiaries

Our Beneficiaries

Employers & Industry

Tagline Structured pathways to qualified, job-ready talent

Who: Manufacturing companies, MSMEs, large corporates, OEMs in electronics, semiconductor, defence, advanced manufacturing, apparel, pharma. Current partners include Dixon, Haier, Samsung, Vivo, Foxconn, Oppo, Shahi, and Avaada.

Their challenge: Short-term vision; no structured hiring signals reach ITIs. Local hiring relies on personal networks. Industry has no visibility into how credible an ITI or assessment agency is. High cost of hiring due to low-quality certification signals - leading to high churn.

What STEP offers:

  • Demand mapping support - structured articulation of current and future workforce needs
  • Monthly Apprenticeship Interface drives - connecting employers with ITI clusters
  • Placement partnerships and KCC engagement
  • Co-creation of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) and Model Labs in institutions
  • Bridge course design for emerging job roles (robotics, drones, cleanroom ops)
  • Gold Certificate — a nationally recognised mark of competence that replaces unreliable trade tests

Tagline: Industry-aligned curricula and employer connections

Who: Government and private ITIs, polytechnics, NSTIs, universities. UP alone has the maximum number of ITIs in the country.

Their challenge: Limited visibility into hiring demand. Curricula not aligned to future job roles. Assessed against compliance checklists, not training quality. Assessors qualified on paper but lacking industrial experience.

What STEP offers:

  • Talent supply mapping relative to industry need
  • Gap analysis comparing curricula against industry job roles
  • Bridge course mandates for skill gaps (deployed across 20 top ITIs in UP)
  • Centre of Excellence (CoE) establishment with industry partner support
  • Monthly apprenticeship drive participation
  • Trainer quality upgrading through PM SETU / NSTI assessments
  • Gold Standard accreditation pathway through NCVET

Tagline: Real skills. Recognised credentials. Real jobs.

Who: Youth enrolled in ITIs; graduates seeking employment; informal workers with years of experience but no formal certification.

Their challenge: Trained in curricula not aligned to employer needs. Certified by the same institution that trained them - conflict of interest. Informal workers who already have the skills are forced to enrol in training just to access assessment. The system is designed for learners, not earners.

What STEP offers:

  • Bridge courses in future-facing job roles
  • Hands-on training through CoE infrastructure
  • Apprenticeship placement pathways
  • Assessments-on-Demand (AoD): Any trade, any NSQF level, preferred location — no mandatory training enrolment required
  • Gold Certificate: Issued by an independent NCVET-accredited CoE — tells employers what a candidate can do, not where they studied

Tagline: Evidence-backed policy. Real-world tested reforms.

Who: MSDE, NCVET, DGT, state skill missions, Invest UP, district administrations, NITI Aayog.

Their challenge: Labour market demand is not systematically translated into training decisions. Multiple fragmented schemes with conflicting mandates. No single institution connects policy, implementation, and evidence.

What STEP offers:

  • Kaushal Connect Cell (KCC) - embedded coordination unit within Invest UP
  • NCVET Advisory - piloting assessments-on-demand as a service through Gold Standard Centres-of-Excellence
  • Apprenticeship Reform - national roadmap for MSDE; shaped NITI Aayog's Apprenticeship Act report
  • PM-NAM design - three scenarios for a Unified National Apprenticeship Mission
  • District Demand Planning Framework - piloted in Baghpat (UP) and Bharatpur (Rajasthan)
  • Job Data Lab - building India's integrated labour market intelligence system
  • Demand Forecasting Tool - embedded in Invest UP's Nivesh Sarathi platform

Tagline: Coordination, demand intelligence, and reform partnerships

Who: Sector Skill Councils, assessment agencies, private training providers (ANTTF, TeamLease, NTTF), NGO skilling programmes, WILP/AEDP partners.

Their challenge: Delivering training without clear demand signals. No cross-system data sharing. Assessment tied to training rather than to competency. Lack of industry-trusted certification.

What STEP offers:

  • Demand intelligence sharing - industry job role data to align delivery
  • Gold Standard assessment design - rigorous, independent certification models
  • Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) reform - removing mandatory training barriers
  • Assessments-on-Demand co-delivery through CoE networks
  • MSME apprenticeship pilot coordination