Teaching 4 Million Students in India to Think Like Entrepreneurs

India has the world’s largest youth population, a generation full of ideas, ambition, and drive. But today, 42% of college graduates under 25 are unemployed, and nearly 9 in 10 employers say youth lack essential workplace skills. To unlock this potential, young people need more than academic success. They need real-world experience, confidence, and the ability to shape their own paths.

Udhyam Shiksha, the education arm of Udhyam Learning Foundation, was built to bridge the gap between school and the world of work. Partnering with government schools and vocational institutes, it brings entrepreneurial learning into classrooms through hands-on, project-based experiences. The curriculum doesn’t just teach how to start a business — it builds initiative, problem-solving, and the mindset to act on ideas in a fast-changing world.

Embedded in Classrooms, Built for Scale

Udhyam Shiksha is delivered in partnership with state governments, making it part of the public education system. Launched in 2017, the program has already reached 3.75 million students across 10 states, including more than 900,000 in Delhi alone.

Students learn by exploring everyday challenges and spotting opportunities to solve them, like repurposing waste into eco-friendly products or filling service gaps with practical solutions. With access to mentorship and seed funding, they’re turning these ideas into small businesses: selling snack boxes, making eco-friendly bracelets, or turning recycled materials into lamps and home decor. Each business is rooted in local insight and built to meet a real need. Along the way, students build critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration skills. These experiences broaden their sense of possibility and confidence in shaping their own futures.

Unlocking Skills that Shape Futures

Students in Udhyam Shiksha classrooms outperform their peers in problem-solving, communication, and confidence, according to early findings from a 10-year longitudinal study conducted by McGill University and SCERT Uttarakhand. Across multiple states, internal assessments also show 40–45% of students reporting measurable growth in self-efficacy and decision-making – skills that help them navigate the workforce and shape their own futures.

More than 40,000 educators in 12 states have been trained to deliver the program, embedding lasting capacity within the public education system.

Taking Real-World Learning Further

With growing demand from students, schools, and states, Udhyam Shiksha is expanding to reach an additional 3 million students annually. Support from partners is helping strengthen internal capacity, improve data systems, and bring the program to more classrooms nationwide.

Together, we’re bridging the gap between school and the world of work. When students see their ideas take shape in the real world, it changes what they believe is possible. That’s the shift we’re working toward – so young people are ready for whatever path they choose.

About the Author

Mekin Maheshwari is the founder and CEO of Udhyam Learning Foundation and former chief people officer at Flipkart. He is a 2025 Senior Ashoka Fellow and long-time champion of innovations that unlock opportunity at scale.