I am pledging my birthday to empower Indian youth get jobs through skill training

Hema's story is an inspiring one, one that teaches us that hard work and determination can take you places. An aspiring young Engineering graduate from Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh, Hema always dreamt of a career in the IT sector. However, in the face of stiff competition and an education that gave her a degree, but not enough hands-on programming experience, she realized she needed something that gave her an edge. Apart from adding to her technical skills, she would need to work on her communication skills too. But she could not afford to pay fees upfront to attend a specialized skill-training course. However, with a loan of Rs. 32,000 she could enroll in a three month Java programming course conducted by Talent Sprint – one of the partners of the National Skill Development Corporation.

With that course, things changed drastically for Hema. She performed well in her training, got plenty of hands-on practice in Java programming and was placed in a well-paid job in a software company soon after. Today she is proud to be contributing to the company's growth and her family income - and repaying her loan!

The National Skill Development Mission is the story of millions like Hema – young sharp minds looking for an opportunity to shape their skills. The Mission is an initiative of unprecedented scale, never before in the history of mankind has a anyone aimed to skill 500 million in a decade. However, the National Skill Development Corporation and trainers like Talent Sprint are building this mission, one student at a time. Specialized training programs for the IT sector focus not only on industry relevant technical skills, but also on sharp interpersonal skills. After three months, many students like Hema have started their careers in pioneering companies like Accenture, HP, Polaris, TCS etc. Talent Sprint has trained more than ten thousand young stars, and plans to take this initiative forward in banking as well. Loans are granted to students who tend to lose out on a job opportunity due to lack of technical skills. Each loan means a lot for the young men like Hema, and a little step for India in realizing the potential of her youth!