Career Readiness Ecosystems

Localized career readiness ecosystems

Over 50% drop out before higher secondary school, risking long-term social exclusion and economic precarity. Our solution is to establish Career Readiness Ecosystems with the public high school at the center, transforming the existing education system into a catalyst for informed, aspirational, and equitable transitions for youth aged 14-18, driving long-term socio-economic mobility.

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Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Updated December 2025

Web presence

2013

Established

48K 2022

150K 2023

110K 2024

1

Countries

Students upper

Target group

Reducing NEET numbers to single digits - SDG 8.6 for India. The goal is to solve India’s growing youth unemployment/ under employment crisis; Antarang will ensure that high school students from India’s education systems make well-informed and equitable transitions into Employment, Entrepreneurship and Training after school, leading to greater participation in higher/vocational education an

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

India is failing to harness its demographic dividend despite spending $317 million annually on skilling initiatives. Youth employment has grown only 8% since 2017, with 48% dropping out of high school. The core gap is the absence of a bridge between school and higher education, technical training, or work. Antarang’s innovation was created to close this gap and ensure equitable career pathways.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Our innovation is a 4 year, school‑integrated career education model delivered in government high schools through trained career facilitators. The curriculum (Grades 9–12) combines classroom activities, one‑to‑one counseling, industry exposure, alumni mentoring, parent engagement and low‑resource tools such as printed workbooks. On the system side we deploy Program Support Officers to coach state teachers, and work with government offices. Technology includes a Learning Management System (LMS) for facilitator certification, a WhatsApp career chatbot for 24/7 student access and a Salesforce backend for real time reports and transition tracking. Independent reviews show strong learning and transition outcomes: 25 percentage point rise in career awareness, 37 point rise in awareness of post‑12 options, and higher transition rates than national averages. Monitoring uses baseline, midline, endline and annual transition surveys to guide continuous improvement.

How has it been spreading?

Antarang has scaled through a deliberate three‑pillar pathway: direct delivery in model districts, teacher training and state capacity building, and state advocacy for system adoption. Over the past 3 years the program has expanded to 2 new states almost tripling direct reach, launched a statewide teacher‑led rollout in Rajasthan and Nagaland, deployed digital tools (LMS), and secured state curriculum approvals in Rajasthan, Nagaland, Goa and Maharashtra - shifting from NGO-led pilots to government‑owned delivery at scale. By 2028, Antarang Foundation will help 5 million youth between Grades 9 to 12 (aged 14-18) through the formal education system to ensure that they stay in education and are on a trajectory to a career of their choice.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Antarang is an expert on school-based career education, proven in 1,400+ schools and diverse contexts over the past 13 years. Our partnerships team provides tailored technical assistance, training, materials and model development to NGOs, enabling rapid, vision aligned scale and measurable transition outcomes. For queries, please write to carmelR@antarangfoundation.org.

Implementation steps

Step 1: Assess local labour force participation and school dropout rates

Collect baseline data on the community’s labour force participation and school dropout rates. Use school records, district education office data, labour surveys and or household interviews. This tells us whether low youth participation reflects a lack of jobs or a lack of awareness about viable career pathways and the steps to reach them, enabling a targeted intervention design.

Step 2: Check for local government and stakeholder buy‑in for EEET growth

Reaching for existing systems intervention that are in place or are under planning. If none exists, present the situational brief to district/state education officials, school heads and local governance bodies to confirm interest in improving Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Training (EEET) outcomes. Secure a champion at this stage to ensure that the pilot can be planned for a fixed timeline.

Step 3: Curriculum design and contextualisation

Design a highly contextualised, student‑centred curriculum aligned to learners’ social, cultural and linguistic realities while also ensuring that there are progress tracking and feedback mechanisms set in place to ensure monitoring is strong and aligned with EEET objectives.

Step 4: Teacher or facilitator training

Train teachers to deliver career education with contextual clarity and inclusive intent. The program builds awareness of diverse career options and pathways available to students in their specific geography, economy and social context. It also supports teachers in unlearning biases related to gender, caste, and class.

Step 5: Implementation and data-driven improvement

Launch the classroom cycle with trained facilitators or teachers delivering career education, supported by Program Support Officers or local coaches and monitor the progress and feedback to continue making informed improvements into the system.