Gandhinagar, July 21, 2026: IPE Global, a leading international development consultancy, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Gujarat Skill Development Mission (GSDM), Government of Gujarat to advance the She Works initiative, an initiative dedicated to strengthening young women’s participation in skilling and paid employment. The MoU was exchanged at the World Youth Skills Day celebrations held under the Namo Gujarat Kaushalya & Rozgar Mission (NGKRM), in the presence of Lochan Sehra, Secretary, Labour, Skill Development and Employment Department, Government of Gujarat.
The signing on World Youth Skills Day marks a significant step in Gujarat’s journey towards women-led development. Under the five-year, non-financial partnership, IPE Global will provide pro bono technical assistance to GSDM to strengthen the delivery of state skilling schemes and expand employment outcomes for young women. The collaboration supports the vision of Viksit Gujarat @2047, which places skilled women at the heart of the State’s growth story, and complements NGKRM’s mandate of integrating skilling with employment at scale.
Speaking on the occasion, Lochan Sehra, Secretary, Labour, Skill Development and Employment Department, Government of Gujarat, said, “Under the Namo Gujarat Kaushalya & Rozgar Mission, our focus is not only on skilling our youth but on ensuring that skilling translates into employment – and that young women share fully in this opportunity. This partnership will strengthen the delivery of our schemes and help us build an ecosystem where every young woman in Gujarat can aspire to, and secure, Skilling in emerging sectors, in line with the vision of Viksit Gujarat @2047.”
Through the partnership, IPE Global and GSDM will work together to strengthen the delivery of state skilling schemes – including aspiration mapping to align courses with young women’s career goals, outcome-based financing, and collaborate on a state-level public campaign to build societal support for women’s skilling and employment, and on mobilising an inter-departmental convergent action plan for women’s economic empowerment.
On MoU, M K Padma Kumar, Chief Operating Officer, IPE Global Limited, said, “It is fitting that this partnership begins on World Youth Skills Day. We are honoured to work with the Gujarat Skill Development Mission to ensure that young women across the State can access skilling that leads to real, sustained employment. Through She Works, IPE Global is committed to bringing its technical expertise to support Gujarat’s vision of women-led development under Viksit Gujarat @2047.”
The MoU further provides for engaging industries and industry associations to adopt gender-diversity roadmaps across key emerging sectors and for strengthening data systems to track gender- and age-disaggregated employment outcomes.
