As I continued my journey, I worked in different companies and made friends with diverse experiences. I always seek to cross train my skills, aiming to be self-reliant in my job. Yet, I noticed many of my friends were struggling to find jobs or identify their skills.

I got more curious about the current state of education, so I visited colleges with my friends. I observed the same issue: students were being trained to become job hunters, not career launchers. This made me question: how do we fix this gap? How did I identify my skills as a student? How did I choose my job?

I started writing down my thoughts and researching graduation and employment statistics in India. The numbers were surprising and alarming. It wasn't just my friends struggling; many college students were facing the same issue.

I realised that colleges should help students identify their true potential and skills. Education should guide us to solve problems, discover new things, and create with our creativity. This understanding led me to dive deeper into my mission with Skillmate, aiming to bridge this gap and create meaningful career paths for everyone.

The Big Picture 📊

In India, there are 1,113 universities, 43,796 colleges, and 11,296 standalone institutions. In 2021-22, about 4.33 crore students were enrolled in higher education. Yet, as of June 2024, 36.18 million people are still unemployed. We also have over 1.66 million registered companies, but unemployment persists. Why?

The Reasons

There are many reasons for unemployment within our education system, and I want to highlight a few that stand out to me.

1. Skill Mismatch: Graduates lack necessary job skills.
2. Population Growth: More job seekers than available jobs.
3. Automation: Technology replacing human labor.
4. Economic Cycles: Recessions reduce job opportunities.
5. Job Transition Time: Time needed to find new jobs.
6. Seasonal Jobs: Jobs available only in certain seasons.

The current system follows a predictable cycle: study, get a job, get married, have kids, and then enrol them in the same system. This cycle continues, often without encouraging individuals to discover their true potential or pursue their passions. This repetitive pattern can stifle creativity and innovation, leading to a workforce that may not be fully engaged or skilled in their chosen fields and keep solving the world problems with their skills.

Finding a Solution 🤔

Should I create a WhatsApp or Facebook group to connect job seekers and givers? Or start an offline community? Or maybe build a mobile or web app? How would I survive if I left my job to solve these issues? Then it hit me: everyone tries to solve problems in their own way. So, why not do it my way? That’s how I was able to introduce skillmate.ai

Introducing Skillmate 🚀

Skillmate was born to help genuine skills meet the right opportunities in all possible ways. Initially, it’s focused on students, offering internships to help them find their true skill, leadership within, recognize their true potential, and add more value to whatever they have taken. 

Skillmate also works on the principle of helping individuals identify their skills, investing their skills in the right direction, contributing to the better planet by doing what they love to do and earning their living. To start and to make my career meaningful, there are few questions which always helped me.

• What am I studying?
• Why am I studying this?
• Where will I use this knowledge?
• How will this help my community and the world?

Try asking the same to you before you start anything

A New Vision for Education 🌍

Education is something to help us find our passions and make a difference. Money is just a tool, an exchange unit for our time and effort. Let's rethink education and employment together. Let's create a future where every student can pursue their passion and contribute positively to society. Skillmate is about building a brighter future for all.

Continue reading for more insights and join us in this journey to reshape education and employment.

Along the way, I've faced many challenges, but I've learned that everyone deserves to launch a meaningful career. Let me talk about it more in upcoming blogs.

For detailed statistics and insights, visit the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Forbes India.