The 3rd edition of Making India Employable Conference & Awards 2025 celebrates changemakers bridging India’s skill gap and calls for collective action towards a job-ready nation

Mumbai : At a time when India’s job market continues to evolve faster than its talent pool, TeamLease Edtech is urging the country to look beyond unemployment figures and confront a deeper challenge, the growing skill gap.

Carrying forward this mission, the company hosted the third edition of the Making India Employable Conference & Awards (MIECA) 2025 on November 7, 2025, at Novotel Mumbai International Airport, Mumbai. The event brought together voices from education, enterprise, policy, and philanthropists who share a common belief: that employability cannot be built in isolation; it must be a collective effort of individuals, institutions, and communities.

This year’s theme, “Accelerating Impact. Enabling Dreams,” reflected the spirit of the movement, celebrating those who are working tirelessly to make skills accessible and livelihoods sustainable across India.

The 2025 edition of MIECA recognised 122 individuals and organisations whose work has directly advanced employability at the grassroots. From teachers transforming classrooms into skill labs to entrepreneurs redefining workplace learning, each story represented a step forward in building a nation that works effectively and with purpose..

“The real issue isn’t unemployment; it’s unemployability,” said Shantanu Rooj, Founder and CEO, TeamLease Edtech. “Making India Employable is not a one-day event or a campaign; it’s a cause. The responsibility to prepare our youth for meaningful work belongs to all of us — educators, employers, policymakers, and citizens alike.”

The day featured panel discussions and keynote sessions that examined the changing face of learning and work. Among the topics explored were AI Apocalypse or Evolution: Automation may wipe out entry-level jobs for India’s Gen Z before they their careers take off, Pay-for-Performance Trap: Funding universities based on placements may turn education into a ruthless job mill, sacrificing innovation for ROI., Income Inequality Does Not Mean Access Inequality: The Higher Education Imperative and Talent Supply Shock: Mismatched skills could derail India’s $5T economy dream.

A keynote address by Narayan Ramachandran, Chairman, TeamLease Services Limited, set the tone for the day, highlighting the importance of integrating academic learning with employability skills.

“Employability in the age of AI is not about what you know, but it is about how fast you can learn. It is about your adaptability quotient, your ability to evolve before the world forces you to. It is about your curiosity quotient; your hunger to explore and to question” said Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar.

The jury for MIECA 2025 included some of India’s most respected voices in education and enterprise: Dr. R. A. Mashelkar,  Ms. Roma Balwani, Mr. Siddharth Pai, Prof. T. N. Singh, Dr. Chenraj Roychand, who evaluated hundreds of nominations submitted before the closing date on September 24, 2025.

With over 300 delegates from universities, corporations, and government institutions, the conference became a platform for reflection, collaboration, and shared responsibility.

“Each person we celebrate today represents what’s possible when purpose turns into action,” Rooj added. “If every citizen takes even a small step towards skilling or mentoring someone, we can change the country’s workforce story for generations.”

As India moves closer to its Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, Making India Employable continues to grow as a collective platform, one that not only recognises change but also inspires it. Through initiatives like MIECA, TeamLease Edtech hopes to turn recognition into momentum, inviting everyone to play their part in making India truly employable.