As formal education struggles to keep pace with industry demands, initiatives like Gambit Enclave are stepping up to support students and young professionals in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The Employability Crisis
According to the Mercer-Mettl India Graduate Skill Index 2025, only 42.6% of Indian graduates were considered employable in 2024. This figure is drawn from assessments across more than 2,700 campuses and one million students. The deficit is structural. Employers consistently cite shortfalls in communication, commercial awareness, critical thinking, and professional readiness. The India Skills Report 2026 identifies AI fluency, data analytics, and cross-domain expertise as the most in-demand competencies, yet fewer than half of graduates demonstrate adequate readiness. The gap between what institutions certify and what workplaces require is increasingly being filled by mentorship ecosystems and skill-driven cohorts operating alongside formal education.
A Cohort That Reflects a Generation
Legal 40 recently concluded another cohort, bringing together students and early-career professionals from law, business, and allied fields, with a focus on practical insight, mentorship, and real-world problem-solving.
The cohort’s defining quality was its breadth. Rohit Shibu is building his career from Dubai; Hajrah Rehman is preparing for postgraduate study abroad — both reflecting a generation thinking in global terms while still investing in structured skill-building at home. Aagam, balancing a legal career alongside significant family responsibilities, represents a quieter but equally important story: career-building as sustained effort made under real constraint.
Specialisation was also evident. Ridhhi Bhuta of Christ University is focused on Intellectual Property Law; Jhanwi Mohta earned her place through contributions to arbitration and corporate law matters within the Gambit Enclave ecosystem. Amey Pyati brought commercial perspective from working across multiple groups of companies. Aditi Tripathi, Ishita Jain, and Priyanshi — a fifth-year student at Jindal Global Law School — contributed consistency and rigour throughout. Disha Chauhan of HPNLU, associated with Gambit Enclave for over a year, reflects the value of sustained engagement. Rhea Gambhir, already managing brand responsibilities as an active intern, and Bharti, a UPES graduate committed to litigation, round out a cohort distinguished by purpose. Sanya Mahajan stood out for her work ethic and genuine commitment to social justice and public welfare.
These participants represent a generation choosing to invest in capabilities that formal education has not provided.
The Foundation Programme: Intervening Earlier
The Foundation Programme targets the problem upstream — at the school level, before students enter higher education. Organised around Business Development, Legal Intelligence, and Digital Strategy, it addresses career clarity, leadership development, and exposure to real-world complexity that most schools are not structured to provide.
More than 5,000 applications were received from students across Punjab’s school ecosystem, while the top 100 were selected — a figure that reflects genuine, unmet demand rather than institutional momentum alone.
Institutions in Focus
Several of Ludhiana and Punjab’s most respected institutions were shortlisted for the program:
- Sat Paul Mittal School, Ludhiana: Recognized among the leading schools in North India, known for academic excellence, innovation-driven learning, and holistic development.
- Sacred Heart Convent School, BRS Nagar: A distinguished institution committed to character formation, values-based education, and all-round development.
- USPC Jain Public School: A respected institution making quality education accessible with academic rigor and affordability.
- DAV Public School, BRS Nagar: An institution where excellence is a tradition, known for strong leadership and academic achievements.
- Sita Grammar School, Malerkotla: Built upon a strong legacy of academic distinction and community trust.
- DCM Young Entrepreneurs School (DCM YES): A pioneering institution redefining school education through entrepreneurship, innovation, and future-ready learning.
- Guru Nanak Public School, Sarabha Nagar: A child-centric institution nurturing globally minded citizens through academic excellence and values-driven education.
Their participation signals that demand for skill-oriented education extends well beyond metropolitan centres — across institutions of varied backgrounds and communities.
The Road Ahead
Gambit Enclave eyes Bhubaneswar, reflecting a straightforward logic: the employability gap exists wherever formal education and labour market demands diverge, which is to say across much of India. Operating as India’s first solution-driven ecosystem at the intersection of education, mentorship, business development, and professional growth, its expanding footprint is evidence that the gap, while large, is addressable.
Employability statistics sourced from the Mercer-Mettl India Graduate Skill Index 2025 and the India Skills Report 2026.
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