Skilling

The Opportunity

Skills4Future

India is home to one of the world's largest youth populations and among the fastest-growing economies.

As new opportunities emerge across industries, many young people still face challenges in transitioning from education to meaningful employment. Limited access to practical experience and industry-relevant skills can make it difficult for them to fully benefit from these opportunities.

Shell India's Skills4Future programme helps bridge this gap by preparing young people from low-income and underserved communities for careers in high-growth sectors such as Electric Vehicles (EV), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other lower-carbon and future-focused industries. Through targeted skills development, hands-on learning and capacity building, the programme equips youth with the knowledge, confidence and capabilities needed to thrive in a rapidly changing job market.

India's skilling ecosystem is undergoing a significant transformation to prepare young people for the future of work. The National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (2015) emphasises continuous upskilling, innovation and responsive training systems that can adapt to evolving industry needs.

This vision is reinforced by the Skills Report 2026, which highlights growing demand for digital, AI and emerging technology capabilities, alongside a continued focus on skills-first employment. Complementing these efforts, government initiatives such as PM-SETU are driving the modernisation of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), strengthening industry partnerships and enhancing employability outcomes.

Together, these developments are creating new opportunities for young people to access high-quality training and pathways to sustainable livelihoods.

The Solution

What is Skills4Future?

Shell's Skills4Future initiative is designed to address the skilling and upskilling needs of youth from low-income and underserved communities from ITIs, National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs), and Engineering institutions.

As part of its commitment to building a skilled workforce for a lower-carbon future, Shell India has partnered with the Directorate General of Training (DGT) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), as well as with the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC) and the Gujarat Knowledge Society (GKS). These partnerships support the development of industry-relevant skills and strengthen skilling ecosystems, enhancing youth employability in line with evolving industry and energy transition requirements.

The Skills4Future programme combines structured curriculum delivery with experiential learning and high-quality EV labs at select locations. Some of the key topics include ‘Basics of EV Technology’ and ‘Battery Systems’ amongst others. 

The project equips youth with future-ready skills and supports immediate employment, targeting a 70% placement rate to strengthen employability and sustainable livelihoods.

Skills4Future builds future-ready capabilities in ITIs and educational institutions through training in emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital technologies and Electric Vehicle (EV) systems.

In communities, the programme strengthens employability through soft skills, workplace readiness and awareness of future career opportunities, helping young people transition from learning to sustainable employment.