MSDE, IPE Global Join Hands to Build Future-Ready Skilling Pathways for Women

In a major push to advance women-led development through skill empowerment, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IPE Global Limited to strengthen a gender-responsive and future-ready skilling ecosystem for young women across India. The partnership seeks to redesign skilling programmes, raise women's participation in aspirational job roles, and create stronger linkages between skilling, employability and inclusive economic growth.

The collaboration aligns with the Government of India's broader vision of Viksit Bharat, where women are positioned as key drivers of workforce transformation, productivity and innovation.

Focus on Aspirational Jobs and Industry Demand

Under the MoU, MSDE and IPE Global will work together to promote women's entry into high-growth and non-traditional sectors such as advanced manufacturing, green jobs, digital services, logistics, healthcare and emerging technologies. The initiative will emphasise demand-driven training models, ensuring that skilling programmes are aligned with real-time industry needs and future labour market trends.

By strengthening employer partnerships and placement pathways, the collaboration aims to move beyond training numbers to measurable employment and income outcomes for women learners.

Addressing Structural Barriers to Women's Participation

Despite steady progress, women continue to face multiple barriers in accessing skills and employment, including limited awareness, mobility constraints, safety concerns and gender bias in hiring. This partnership will deploy evidence-based, gender-responsive interventions to address these challenges, particularly for young women from underserved and aspirational districts.

Special focus will be placed on adolescent girls and first-time job seekers, building foundational, digital and life skills that improve long-term employability and workforce retention.

National Awareness Campaign and Data-Driven Governance

A key innovation under the partnership is a multilingual national awareness campaign aimed at increasing women's participation in skilling programmes and formal employment. The campaign will engage communities, families and employers to shift mindsets around women's work and promote skilling as a pathway to economic independence.

In parallel, the MoU предусматривает strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems, enabling data-driven governance and improved tracking of women's enrolment, completion and placement outcomes. Enhanced use of data will support better policy design and targeted interventions at both national and state levels.

Leadership Speak

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said: "Women's skilling is central to India's inclusive growth and workforce transformation. This partnership with IPE Global reflects our commitment to creating an enabling ecosystem where young women, especially from underserved regions, can access aspirational opportunities, dignified employment pathways and the support systems required to thrive in a changing economy."

Strengthening Inclusive Growth

The MSDE–IPE Global partnership reinforces India's shift towards outcome-oriented skilling models that integrate training, employability and gender inclusion. By combining policy leadership with implementation expertise, the collaboration aims to contribute to higher female workforce participation, improved job quality and more resilient local economies.

As India prepares for a rapidly evolving labour market, the initiative marks an important step towards ensuring that women are not just participants, but leaders in the country's growth story.