Written By Dr Ketan Deshpande
Every year, our colleges produce lakhs of graduates. But how many of them are truly employable the moment they step out with a degree in hand?
This is no longer a question only for students—it has become a question for the entire education system. The degree is there, but the skill is missing; the marksheet is there, but the confidence is not. This gap is widening by the day, and bridging it is now both the single greatest responsibility and the single greatest opportunity before our academic institutions.
To seize that opportunity, we must look at three elements together: skill development, scholarships and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). On the surface, they appear unrelated. In reality, they are three links in the same chain. Connect them effectively, and an ordinary college can transform into an engine of employability.
A changing world and the urgency of skills
The world of work is changing at an extraordinary pace. Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data analytics and fintech—technologies that barely existed a few years ago—are now among the most sought-after skills in job interviews. Industry no longer wants graduates; it wants job-ready graduates.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 underlines exactly this. The era of keeping education and skilling in separate silos is over. A degree must come with skills, and skills must come with real, hands-on experience. The colleges that deliver these future-ready skills alongside the curriculum are the ones that will remain relevant in the decade ahead.
But before skills can be delivered, another barrier often appears—a financial one. Many of our brightest students possess the intellect and the determination to succeed but lack the means to pay their fees. A single financial hurdle can cost us a future engineer, doctor or entrepreneur. This is why a scholarship is never mere charity; it is an investment in the future.
And today, the funds to make that investment already exist. They simply need to be channelled to our colleges through the right route.
CSR — The fuel that makes it possible
This is where the third—and perhaps the most powerful—force enters.
Under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013, every company above a specified financial threshold is required to spend two per cent of its average net profit on social causes through CSR. Across the country, thousands of crores of rupees are spent every year under this mandate.
More importantly, Schedule VII of the Act explicitly identifies education, vocational skill development and livelihood enhancement as eligible areas for CSR spending. The implication is straightforward: skill development and scholarships are among the most CSR-eligible sectors in the country.
In fact, education and skilling already account for the largest share of India's CSR expenditure. That funding is waiting—for the right projects and the right partners. And our colleges can become both.
Concrete opportunities for colleges
So, what can a CSR partnership actually create on a college campus?
First, it can establish future-skills laboratories in areas such as AI, cloud computing and fintech, funded entirely by companies and offered at no additional cost to students.
Second, it can support scholarships where the fees, training costs and professional certifications of deserving and meritorious students are financed through CSR funds.
Third, CSR partnerships bring much more than financial support. They create direct relationships with industry, opening doors to internships, mentorship opportunities and future employment.
Fourth, they can strengthen faculty development through "Train the Trainer" programmes, enabling teachers to stay updated with rapidly evolving technologies and industry practices.
These are not merely theoretical possibilities.
Over the past 19 years, across 18 states, FUEL has demonstrated exactly this model. Working with more than 90 corporate partners, it has channelled nearly ₹248 crore of CSR funding into education and skilling, reached over 12.5 lakh young people, directly trained nearly three lakh students, and secured scholarships for more than 2,900 deserving learners.
That journey has reinforced one simple truth: when academic institutions, industry and CSR funding come together on a common platform, they can transform the entire trajectory of a student's life.
A closing appeal
CSR funds are being spent every single year. The only question is whether they will reach your students.
The college that takes the initiative, designs the right project and partners with the right organisations is the one that will attract this funding.
So let us move beyond being merely degree-granting institutions and become future-building institutions.
Let us offer skills. Let us create scholarships. And let the power of CSR strengthen both.
Behind the dream of every student stands a company, a CSR fund and an opportunity waiting to be connected. Carrying that opportunity to our students is perhaps the greatest responsibility—and the greatest need—of our times.
(The author is the Founder & Chairman of FUEL and works in the field of skill development and CSR.)
