ABOUT
Why we exist
India has more than 15,000 Industrial Training Institutes. For millions of young people, an ITI is the first and often the only door into a skilled career.
But too many walk through it and still don’t find work. As of 2022, 75% of employers reported a skill gap in the workforce entering their organisations. Curricula lag behind what industry actually needs. Teaching positions sit vacant, and trainers get few chances to keep pace with their trade. Links with local employers are thin. And vocational training still carries a stigma that keeps young people from choosing it at all.
Closing that gap isn’t something any organisation can do alone. ITIs are designed by the Centre, run by the states, and depend on industry, training partners and civil society for everything from curriculum to placements. Change means all of them moving together.
That’s why FRSN exists.
Who we are
Future Right Skills Network (FRSN) was established in 2019, to drive collective Systems Change in the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Ecosystem. We work with diverse stakeholders including State & Central Government, Philanthropy, CSOs, Industry, Academia, Training Bodies – with a shared goal of equipping young people with the skills they need to succeed in the rapidly changing world of work.
FRSN’s role is to connect and convene. We bring partners into the same room, put evidence in front of decision-makers, and turn shared insight into tools the whole system can use – across research, advocacy and innovation.
What began in 2019 as an attempt to achieve long-term systemic shifts has grown into a forest of actors, all collaborating for change, a rich journey of policy and practice.
Vision Young people are equipped with the right skills to transition into, and thrive in, the ever-changing world of work.
Mission Drive collective systems change and transform the government ITI ecosystem to be aspirational and future-ready.
What we do
FRSN aims to achieve its mission through four interconnected pillars of work, each one designed to drive impact across the ecosystem:
Research & Knowledge Sharing We facilitate research focused on identifying best practices and ecosystem insights. Explore our research reports.
Data & Advocacy We collect and analyse data focused on the ITI ecosystem, future skills, industry engagement and trainer development to inform and influence policy-level shifts.
Innovation & Public Goods We develop tools and frameworks that can be easily adopted and used across the ITI ecosystem to strengthen training and learner outcomes.
Dialogues & Engagement We create spaces like the Future Skills Forum, our flagship summit, State-level Ecosystem Summits, Roundtables and Learning Circles for diverse stakeholders across the ecosystem to meet, engage in meaningful conversations, and identify opportunities for collaboration.
What we have built together
- Making Employability Skills Accessible at Scale – Interactive ES content integrated with government skilling portals is enabling 2.5 million learners to access employability skills courses.
- Trainer Development Strategy– An analysis of trainer development approaches, with recommendations to strengthen capabilities and future-readiness in the TVET ecosystem
- The State of ITIs in India – A Grading Framework for Readiness & Reform
- State Trainer Policy Analysis – An analysis of state-level approaches to strengthening trainer recruitment, development, career progression, and governance
- Decoding Employer Perception of Industrial Training Institutes and Vocational Training in India
- Pathways to Work: Mapping Education, Skills, Employability to Labour Market Demand
Accenture, Cisco, J.P. Morgan, LinkedIn and SAP Labs India are cornerstone funders. They are committed to the vision and are invested in the strategy of the Future Right Skills Network.
These include state govt. Departments and civil society implementing partners that have expertise and knowledge of delivering skills training in the state. They bring along rich experience and learning specific to their respective geographies.
These partnerships help FRSN identify priority areas of innovation and experimentation. We discuss emerging trends, challenges in the ecosystem; prototype new ideas for scale and impact; identify existing solutions which can be plugged into similar states and steer the knowledge building agenda for FRSN.
The network secretariat ensures that FRSN is on the path to achieve its vision. It leads technical areas of content, training and technology; liaisons with the Govt. Of India, and supports partnerships with state governments.
The MSDE has a 4 year MoU with FRSN to scale impact of 21st century skills and drive systems-change through digital engagement, trainer development and platform deployment to strengthen employability skills training in India. The collaboration also has a thematic focus on digital transformation, thereby encouraging sharing and adoption of skilling strategies across states.
INSIGHTS
RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY
We are invested in researching sector trends, market opportunities, and formulating skilling strategies to drive change and improve prospects for young people's employability.
The State of ITIs in India
A Summary of Decoding employer perception of Industrial Training Institutes and Vocational Training in India
Trainer Development Strategy Paper for Skilling Ecosystems
Transforming Tamil Nadu's Govt. ITI Ecosystem
Pathways To Work: Mapping Education, Skills and Employability to Labour Market Demand
Quest Alliance and Dept. of Skill Development and Industrial Training, Haryana: A Case Study
Skilling for the Future of Work: An Outlook for Youth in the Platform Economy
A Change Map for Industrial Training Institutes in India: Insights from Ecosystem Leaders
Young Women Learners in Industrial Training Institutes: Decoding Challenges to Successful Careers
Driving Reform in Industrial Training Institutes: A Charter of Recommendations
Making Women ITIs Future Ready – QA & JP Morgan Study
Innovating for scale: A Quest Alliance-Accenture Case Study
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
PARTNERS
Anchor Partners
Our five anchor partners are committed to the vision and mission of the Future Right Skills Network and are invested in strengthening the TVET ecosystem in India.
Partner with us
Ecosystem Partners
FRSN’s Knowledge & Innovation Community brings together practitioners and partners from across the skilling ecosystem. The members come together to actively drive peer learning, showcase good practices, and co-lead advocacy campaigns and pilots that enable the transformation of the TVET ecosystem in India.
Government Partners
FRSN has partnered with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Directorate General of Training to scale and strengthen the collaboratives’ impact and drive systems change in the TVET ecosystem in India.
Events and Highlights
In The News
Business Standard - Accenture, Cisco, J.P. Morgan and Quest Alliance collaborate with government to bring new age skills to youth
The Hindu - News from the world of education
