Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla
Vice-Chancellor, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalaya
Learn, Launch, and Lead (LLL): Reimagining Education, Entrepreneurship, and Employment (EEE) represents an integrated framework in which education builds future-ready skills, entrepreneurship converts ideas into viable ventures, and leadership translates innovation into societal impact. In a rapidly evolving country like India, this triad aligns learning with innovation and employability, empowering individuals not merely to adapt to change, but to shape it.
India stands at a pivotal moment in its development trajectory. With nearly 65 per cent of its population projected to be of working age by 2041, the country’s ability to skill, educate, and empower its youth will determine whether it realizes a demographic dividend or confronts a demographic challenge. A decade ago, barely one in three Indian graduates was considered job-ready. Today, that figure has risen to approximately 55 per cent, reflecting the impact of education reforms, skill development initiatives, and growing industry engagement.
Simultaneously, India has emerged as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. Thousands of new ventures are not only absorbing skilled talent but also generating employment at scale. This confluence of education reform and entrepreneurial growth is reshaping traditional pathways to employment. In a society once oriented toward secure salaried jobs-particularly in government service-a new ethos is taking root: young Indians are increasingly becoming job creators rather than job seekers.
This article examines the evolving relationship between education, entrepreneurship, and employment in India, with particular emphasis on policy reforms such as the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the rise of youth entrepreneurship, and the role of higher education institutions-especially North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU)-in fostering innovation in regions like the Northeast.
Education Reforms and Employability
For decades, India’s education system faced criticism for prioritizing rote learning and formal qualifications over practical skills. This mismatch led to the phenomenon of “educated unemployment,” where degrees failed to translate into employability. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was introduced as a systemic corrective, aiming to realign education with livelihood, innovation, and lifelong learning.
NEP 2020 advances a holistic, flexible, and skill-oriented framework that moves beyond exam-centric pedagogy. Central to the policy is the mainstreaming of vocational education, experiential learning, and multidisciplinary curricula to enhance adaptability and workforce readiness. Key reforms include:
- Early Vocational Exposure: Vocational education is introduced from Class VI onwards, encompassing diverse areas such as carpentry, coding, gardening, and basic entrepreneurship. This early exposure helps destigmatize vocational skills and encourages respect for diverse forms of work.
- Internships and Industry Linkages: Structured internships with local industries, artisans, and enterprises are integrated into academic programmes, bridging the academia-industry divide and providing students with early workplace exposure.
- Flexible Curricula and Multiple Entry/Exit Options: A multidisciplinary approach in higher education allows students to earn certificates, diplomas, or degrees at different stages. Learners can combine disciplines-for example, economics with data analytics or entrepreneurship-enhancing agility and employability.
- Alignment with National Missions: NEP is closely aligned with initiatives such as Skill India, Digital India, and Startup India, creating a cohesive national ecosystem for skilling, innovation, and employment generation. The policy aims for at least 50 per cent of learners to receive vocational exposure by 2025.
These reforms are yielding measurable outcomes. Graduate employability has risen to about 55 per cent in 2025, up from roughly 35 per cent a decade ago. In the past year alone, employability increased by nearly three percentage points, driven by NEP-led curricular changes, government skilling programmes, and closer collaboration between academia and industry. Initiatives such as the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme further reinforce the focus on hands-on learning.
Sectoral data reveal strong demand for skilled graduates: management graduates show employability levels of around 78 per cent, while engineering graduates stand at approximately 71.5 per cent. Importantly, gender disparities in employability are narrowing, with women and men now approaching parity in job readiness-highlighting the inclusive potential of education reform when access and opportunity are ensured.
India’s Startup Boom and Youth Entrepreneurship
India’s startup ecosystem has witnessed extraordinary growth under the Startup India initiative. From just 500 recognised startups in 2016, the number has expanded to over 1,59,000 by early 2025, positioning India as the third-largest startup hub globally. These enterprises have collectively generated more than 1.6 million direct jobs across sectors such as fintech, edtech, health-tech, biotechnology, and e-commerce.
Women entrepreneurs are increasingly central to this transformation, with over 73,000 startups having at least one-woman co-founder or director. While metropolitan centres such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi NCR continue to lead, smaller cities and towns are now actively contributing, supported by expanding incubator networks and access to capital.
Beyond economic impact, Startup India has catalysed a cultural shift by legitimizing risk-taking, innovation, and entrepreneurship as mainstream career choices. According to recent reports, young Indian entrepreneurs under the age of 30 have raised billions of dollars and created tens of thousands of jobs, with an average founder age of just 28 years. Many iconic Indian companies-once startups themselves-stand as powerful role models for today’s students.
This shift from “job seekers to job creators” reflects a broader redefinition of success, where entrepreneurship is increasingly viewed as an avenue for social problem-solving, wealth creation, and national development. Startups are also addressing local challenges-from digital payments to telemedicine in rural areas-while competing on global platforms.
NEHU: Catalysing Entrepreneurship in Northeast India
As entrepreneurship gains national prominence, higher education institutions are emerging as critical innovation hubs. In the Northeast, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) exemplifies how universities can anchor regional entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Established in 1973, NEHU is a central university recognised by the University Grants Commission as a “University with Potential for Excellence.” In recent years, it has consciously evolved into an entrepreneurial university by translating research and student innovation into enterprise.
In 2021, with support from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), NEHU established a state-of-the-art Bio-NEST-Bio Incubator (B3I) at its Tura campus. This facility provides laboratory infrastructure, mentorship, and funding linkages for startups in agriculture, food processing, nutrition, biotechnology, and life sciences-sectors closely aligned with regional needs. The incubator supports up to 25 ventures at a time, leveraging national mentor networks and faculty expertise in Agri-tech, renewable energy, and allied fields.
Further strengthening this ecosystem, NEHU launched an Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) in 2024, supported by the North Eastern Council and the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship. The EDC offers structured mentorship, capacity-building programmes, and funding access for students, faculty, and local youth. Strategic collaborations with industry and international partners have opened pathways for global exposure and commercialization. Notably, NEHU has signed international MoUs to incubate startups in advanced medical technologies, creating opportunities in cutting-edge healthcare innovation.
Early successes from NEHU’s ecosystem-including indigenous agricultural technologies and region-specific digital solutions-demonstrate the transformative potential of decentralised innovation. By empowering local youth with skills, infrastructure, and entrepreneurial confidence, NEHU is addressing chronic employment constraints in the Northeast and reducing distress-driven migration.
Conclusion
The evolving interplay between education, entrepreneurship, and employment is redefining India’s development narrative. Education reforms such as NEP 2020 are producing skilled, adaptable graduates, while a vibrant startup ecosystem is converting these skills into innovation, enterprise, and employment. Together, they address both employability and job creation-two sides of the same developmental imperative.
Challenges remain: ensuring effective policy implementation, maintaining quality across regions, bridging urban-rural divides, and overcoming cultural biases toward risk and entrepreneurship. Yet, the direction is unmistakably positive. Indian youth are better prepared, more confident, and increasingly willing to innovate.
Institutions like North-Eastern Hill University illustrate how higher education can function as a catalyst for inclusive growth, particularly in underserved regions. When education, innovation, and enterprise operate as a continuum-as envisioned in the Learn, Launch, and Lead (LLL) framework—they create a self-reinforcing cycle of skills, startups, and sustainable employment.
If India continues to align its education system with the needs of a knowledge-driven, entrepreneurial economy, it will empower millions not merely to find jobs, but to create jobs for others. In doing so, the north eastern region as well as nation can transform its demographic potential into a lasting demographic dividend, building a resilient, self-reliant, and prosperous India for generations to come.
