Empowering Rural Youth: Rural Shores’ Mission to Bridge the Skills Gap in India

Rural Shores is revolutionising rural India by skilling over 100,000 young people through its Skills Academy, fostering entrepreneurship, and creating digital job opportunities. With a focus on inclusion and innovation, it’s bridging the urban-rural divide, empowering communities, and driving India’s Viksit Bharat vision forward. In a recent episode of My Startup TV’s Thought Leader Show, host Major Sunil Shetty interviewed Tarun Singhal, Group CEO of Rural Shores, to explore challenges facing India’s rural youth in education, employment, and entrepreneurship. With over 70% of India’s workforce in rural areas, many educated graduates remain unemployed due to skill gaps. Rural Shores, a leading social enterprise, is addressing this by transforming rural talent into a skilled workforce. Singhal, with three decades of global experience, has driven growth for multinationals and scaled capability centres. “At heart, I’m a self-starter who believes in hustle, trust, and long-term relationships with people and with purpose,” he shared, inspired by Maya Angelou’s words: “People will never forget how you made them feel.” His journey, from meeting global leaders like the Dalai Lama to building brands, aligns with Rural Shores’ mission. Rural Shores operates on the RISE framework: Rural transformation, innovation through entrepreneurship, Startup synergies, and Ecosystem building. “RISE is unlocking rural innovation in the startup ecosystem,” Singhal explained. As the world’s largest rural digital operations company, Rural Shores employs over 3,000 people across 14 centres in nine states, delivering AI-enabled, ESG-supported services to global clients, aligning with Viksit Bharat. The Rural Shores Skills Academy (RSA) is central to this mission, having trained over 100,000 youth in 15 years, with 60% of them being women, many of whom are first-generation earners. RSA focuses on 21st-century skills, including digital literacy, AI fundamentals, and cybersecurity, to ensure job readiness. “RSA is a launchpad for rural youth to enter the digital economy with confidence and dignity,” Singhal emphasised. Its demand-led model, co-created with industry, supports startups with plug-and-play talent.Rural Shores bridges the urban-rural divide by establishing digital operation centres in villages, thereby reducing migration. AgriTech offers Farmer Helplines, drone booking, and tractor services, solving local challenges. “We take jobs where people are,” Singhal said, empowering youth with sustainable livelihoods. Challenges persist: only 10% of venture capital reaches rural startups, 47% of graduates are unemployable (India Skills Report 2024), and infrastructure deficits, such as unreliable electricity, hinder progress. Yet, opportunities abound with 65% of India’s population under 35 and 37% rural internet penetration, fueled by Digital India initiatives. Rural Shores leverages these, supported by programs like Startup India. Diversity drives innovation at Rural Shores, with 45% of Indian startups being led by women. “Women’s power is at the heart of everything we do,” Singhal noted. The organisation’s impact is recognised globally by Harvard, Oxford, IIM Bangalore, and awards such as the Amazon Mark Tank, IAOP Global Impact Sourcing, Edison Awards, and Nasscom’s 2009 Runner-up for Most Innovative Startup. Looking ahead, Rural Shores is expanding, with a new centre in Garchuk, Assam. Singhal advocates collaboration over competition: “I invite startups to collaborate with Rural Shores.” His “Workforce as a Service” model enables lean startups to scale affordably. Visiting a Bagepalli centre, Singhal observed, “Josh is super high in the rural… They are set for the next big disruption, which is inclusive innovation.” By blending technology, impact, and inclusion, Rural Shores empowers rural youth to drive India’s innovation frontier, demonstrating that social impact and commercial sustainability can coexist.