New Delhi, May 6 (PTI) Aimed at addressing India’s growing demand-supply gap in skilled professionals, Industry–Academia Connect 2025 was launched in the national capital on Tuesday, promising to make education more relevant to emerging industry needs and aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The initiative seeks to equip students with future-ready skills by facilitating direct dialogue between academic institutions and industry leaders across sectors. It emphasises integrating soft skills, digital fluency, and real-world exposure into mainstream education.
With India’s tech-enabled workforce demand projected to reach 1 million by 2026, and a current 53 per cent shortfall in available talent, the programme is being seen as a strategic step toward closing this gap.
By fostering collaboration between colleges and corporations, the initiative is expected to help young learners make more informed career choices and improve their employability.
Spearheaded by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in collaboration with ITC Hotels and Swiss hospitality institute EHL (Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne), Academia Connect 2025 builds on the success of the VET by EHL Swiss Professional Diploma Program. This programme, delivered across 10 ITC Hotels, including ITC Maurya, has already trained over 800 students with a 100 per cent placement record.
The newly launched nine-city series will travel through Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
The Delhi leg of the initiative brought together over 70 educators and industry professionals, including principals, career counsellors and representatives from IT, hospitality, BFSI, animation, healthcare, and gaming.
CII Executive Director Sougata Roy Choudhury said, “We need to understand student potential at a deeper level. That’s why we’re using scientific tools like psychometric assessments and building real partnerships between academia and industry.” The initiative is supported by CII’s network of 48 Model Career Centres, which have counselled over 14.25 lakh students and facilitated placements for over 9.42 lakh individuals free of cost.
Academia Connect 2025 aims to integrate such outreach with policy-aligned best practices to build a truly responsive and employable talent pool for India’s growing economy. PTI MHS VN VN
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