UN Women India Marks World Youth Skills Day 2025: "Towards Access, Inclusion, Opportunity"

Multi-stakeholder dialogue launches COMPASS @ EquiLearn mentorship platform and Energy Dozen 2.0 to bridge gender skills gap

Date: Thursday, 17 July 2025

Photo: UN Women/Sarabjeet Dhillon

New Delhi, India – UN Women India, in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union to India, Nokia, Micron, and LinkedIn, hosted a multi-stakeholder dialogue today to celebrate World Youth Skills Day 2025 under the theme "Towards Access, Inclusion, Opportunity."

The event addressed India's critical skills paradox: while 43 per cent of the country's STEM graduates are women, the highest proportion globally, women represent only 27 per cent of the STEM workforce.

"At the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, our goal is to ensure that every young Indian, regardless of gender or background, has the opportunity to unlock their potential," said Shri Rajit Punhani, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. "Skills are the most powerful equalizer in a rapidly changing world, and young women must be seen as active architects of transformation." Punhani highlighted several government initiatives, including the National Scheme for ITI Upgradation, the establishment of five national Centres of Excellence, and the Digital Public Infrastructure, Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), for future-ready skills including AI, robotics, and IoT.

Shri Vibhu Nayar, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, emphasized the government’s focus on tribal youth during Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh: "Our objective is to ensure that young women from these communities have access to relevant skills, enabling them to participate meaningfully in the country's economic development."

Ms. Ewa Suwara, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to India, described the initiative as a practical expression of the EU Gender Action Plan: "Europe's own experience shows that higher female participation in STEM and technical roles drives productivity, innovation and GDP growth, bringing more prosperity."

The high profile event, which witnessed the participation of industry leaders and government officials, was supported by Mr. Shombi Sharp, the UN Resident Coordinator in India, and concluded by Ms. Kanta Singh, the UN Women Country Representative ad interim.

Empowering women in STEM through Mentorship

Key Programme Announcements

COMPASS @ EquiLearn Platform Launch: A new mentorship platform was launched with more than 50 mentors from companies including Nokia, Capgemini and Aditya Birla Capital, serving an inaugural cohort of 200 young women from Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The platform's closed loop referral system pairs mentees and mentors by sector and career stage.
Energy Dozen 2.0: UN Women and FSR Global announced the launch of this program, featuring senior women mentors for newcomers to the clean-energy industry.
Nokia-UN Women Mentorship Playbook: A new guide for firms wishing to embed structured, gender-responsive mentoring into their workplaces was released.

The event featured a high-level panel discussion titled, ‘Skilling Young Women for Tomorrow's Industries’, with senior officials from Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat state departments, alongside representatives from LinkedIn and Biocon, discussing strategies to build gender equity into the talent pipeline.

A fireside chat concluded the proceedings, where leaders from Mullen Lowe Lintas Group, [24]7.ai and Aditya Birla Capital shared how targeted mentoring and flexible career pathways have accelerated women's advancement within their organizations.

About UN Women

UN Women exists to advance women’s rights, gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. As the lead UN entity on gender equality, we shift laws, institutions, social behaviours, and services to close the gender gap and build an equal world for all women and girls. We keep the rights of women and girls at the centre of global progress–always, everywhere. Because gender equality is not just what we do. It is who we are.

For further information, please contact:

Sudeshna Mukherjee
Head of Communications, UN Women India
Mob: +91-9999908577 | E: [ Click to reveal ]