Phillips Education and Arthan convened The G.R.O.W.T.H. Dialogue – Gathering Resources and Opportunities for Workforce Transformation & Humanity at Taj Lands End, Mumbai. The event was graced by Shri Saurabh Bahuguna, Honourable Minister for Skill Development & Employment, Uttarakhand, who delivered the keynote address. It also brought together over 40 distinguished leaders from government, industry, academia, and the CSR sector. The dialogue served as a high-level platform for deliberation on skilling priorities, the strengthening of cross-sectoral partnerships, and the identification of policy measures essential for building a future-ready workforce.
India is at a defining moment in its developmental journey. With ambitions to become a global technological and industrial powerhouse—particularly across aerospace, defence, semiconductors, renewables, and AI—the urgency to equip the workforce with relevant, future-ready skills has never been more pressing. The World Economic Forum projects that by 2030, 44% of skills used today will be obsolete. At the same time, India is targeting a $64 billion semiconductor market by 2026, a $70 billion aerospace and defence sector by 2030, and 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. These targets highlight the scale of transformation required in India’s skilling ecosystem.
Reflecting on these imperatives, Satyam Vyas, Founder & CEO, Arthan and Climate Asia, noted “Skilling is not just about employability, it is about building the workforce that will power India’s future. As the world navigates transitions in climate, technology, and demographics, investing in people becomes our strongest lever for inclusive and sustainable growth. Through collaborative platforms like this, we aim to bring together stakeholders to ensure that young people, women, and underserved communities are not only part of the workforce but are leading it.”
Against this backdrop, the dialogue addressed the pressing question: Can India Become a Global Superpower Without a Skilled Workforce? Effective skilling, as highlighted in a recent McKinsey analysis, could add $500 billion to India’s GDP by 2030, underlining its importance for both economic growth and national security. The need for specialised skills was brought to life with examples from aerospace and defence, where a single aircraft requires over 40 lakh precision parts, while an estimated shortage of 15 lakh defence cybersecurity professionals is projected by 2026.
Sharing his reflections on the skilling agenda, Rakshit Kejriwal, President, Phillips Education, commented, “India today stands at the threshold of a new industrial era – in aerospace, defense, semiconductors, renewables, and AI. Each of these sectors are several billion-dollar opportunities, but they demand one thing above all else – skills. The world’s youngest workforce can either remain a number or be a game-changer. At Phillips Education, we believe that India’s growth story will be defined by how effectively we prepare our workforce for the future and are committed to equip India’s workforce with skills of tomorrow. For this, we urgently need a National Skilling Coalition – government, industry, academia, and CSR – working together. If Infrastructure builds nations, Skills build civilizations.”
The evening featured two focused panel discussions.
The first, Dialogue on Skilling in Aerospace & Defence Industry, brought together experts to examine the challenges and opportunities within this sector. The panel included Dr. Cdr. Devendra Singh (R), R&D Director for Aerospace & Defence, Visvesvaraya Technological University; Santosh Rai, Head of HR, L&T Precision Engineering & Systems; K. Srinivas Rao, Regional Director, National Skill Training Institute, Hyderabad; Megha Jain, Senior Advisor, Gates Foundation; and moderated by Rakshit Kejriwal, President, Phillips Education. The discussion emphasised the need for robust academia-industry-government-CSR collaborations to build a pipeline of skilled talent capable of advancing India’s defence manufacturing and aerospace aspirations.
The second, Dialogue on Skilling in Emerging Technologies, focused on strengthening the workforce in areas such as renewable energy, AI, and advanced manufacturing. Panelists included Shri C. Ravi Shankar, Secretary, Skill Development, Uttarakhand Government; Pinaki Patnaik, COO, World Skills Centre, Bhubaneswar; Dr. Jigar Inamdar, Chairman, Ram Lal Anand College, University of Delhi and Director, B Safal Renewable Energy Group; and moderated by Anchal Kakkar, Co-founder, Arthan & EquiLead. The panel underscored the importance of preparing youth for fast-evolving technologies and creating scalable models of training that align with industry needs.
Sharing insights from the panel, Anchal Kakkar, Co-founder, Arthan, observed, “Workforce transformation cannot happen in silos. The dialogue highlighted the power of collaboration across sectors to ensure our skilling models are inclusive, future-oriented, and capable of driving impact for both industry and society.”
The evening concluded with a vote of thanks and a networking dinner, enabling conversations that extended beyond the structured dialogue. Building on the momentum of this gathering, Phillips Education and Arthan remain committed to advancing skilling as a national priority, working with diverse stakeholders to ensure that India’s growth ambitions are supported by a robust and future-ready talent pool.
