Pravesh Dudani

On A Mission to Bridge Skill Gap by Integrating Academia and Industry

Pravesh Dudani

Founder & Chancellor,

Medhavi Skills University

Pravesh Dudani, Founder & Chancellor of Medhavi Skills University (MSU) is a visionary leader and philanthropist in the education and skill development sectors. With a profound commitment to education, innovation, and social impact, Dudani has dedicated his career to bridging the skill gap between the employability of the rural youths and manpower requirements in industry.
An IIT Kharagpur and Stanford University alumni, Dudani brings 15+ years of expertise and diverse leadership to MSU. His entrepreneurial journey began with co-founding GreenHat Ventures in 2008, an innovative startup incubated at IIT Kharagpur. He has a passion for disrupting conventional educational paradigms to accommodate new technologies and overcome evolutionary challenges.
Through GreenHat Ventures, Dudani introduced groundbreaking initiatives such as India’s first career magazine, CQ, and virtual career fairs. Transitioning through pivotal roles, including Head of Product Development for EduIgnite at Educomp Solutions Ltd., Dudani deepened his expertise in assessment and counselling, fueling his drive for educational transformation.
With the inception of iDreamCareer.com, he established himself as a trailblazer in educational innovation. iDreamCareer. com (iDC) is India’s leading and largest career-planning service provider catering to 50,000 students globally. Under his leadership, the startup was selected amongst India’s top 14 fastest-growing companies by CNBC TV 18.
Dudani is recognised as one of the top 14 entrepreneurs in India by CNBC TV 18 for its award show “Masterpreneurs”. He was also one of the top 50 global change leaders at Stanford University for Social Entrepreneurship in 2015. With a vision to draw nearer the demand and supply gap of skilled manpower across industries, Dudani founded the Medhavi Foundation, the sponsoring body of MSU, in 2012.
Today the Medhavi Foundation stands as a beacon of strength for educational reform under his leadership. The foundation has partnered with the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) and various state skill missions and Government departments to implement NSQF (National Skills Qualification Framework) aligned with skill training initiative and manpower resource betterment.
The foundation has supported 1,00,000+ beneficiaries via various short-term, longterm, and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) training initiatives. The foundation has also become a registered TPA (Third Party Aggregator) with MSDE to promote Apprenticeship adoption under NAPS (National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme) and caters to 500+ organisations across India. Through a wide network of learning centres spanning nine states, the Medhavi Foundation impacts over 10,000 students annually.
Under Dudani’s forward-thinking leadership, MSU is simultaneously transforming the education sector and the industries. It is revolutionising higher education by collaborating with industry stakeholders in curriculum design and empowering industry employees & fresh hires with skill-based industry relevant courses in multiple sectors through its WISE (Work Integrated Skill Based Higher Education) initiative.

What is Medhavi Skills University's story?

Skill gap and unaffordable education have always bothered me. Somewhere between building a roadmap to close skill gaps and my deep commitment to education, Medhavi Foundation happened. Determined to make a difference, I employed my years of experience and learnings in building Medhavi’s Skill Based Higher Education Model. 12 years back, I established Medhavi Foundation with the vision to bridge the gap between the employability of the rural youths and the manpower requirements of industries. Medhavi Foundation has partnered with National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) and various State Skill Missions and Government departments. It has positively impacted 1,00,000+ beneficiaries since 2012 via its training initiatives. To further the vision, Medhavi Skills University (MSU) was established as a State University via Medhavi Skills University, Sikkim Act, 2021. Medhavi foundation is MSU’s sponsoring body. MSU has been included in the UGC list of universities. With innovation and creativity, MSU is trying to address systemic challenges in education with an unwavering dedication to drive positive change through education. 21st century industry and workspace is changing at a faster and unexpected way. Disruptive technologies like Cloud Technology, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence etc. have transformed industries. To deliver to the demand of industrial mobility, the future workforce in the higher education eco-system needs to be groomed differently and accordingly. Medhavi’s Skill Based Higher Education Model also enhances the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020. To this end, MSU is co-working with leading Industry Partners to design and implement demand driven programmes and embed learning with industry as campus. I envision each Medhavian to be the leading face of tomorrow’s workspace in different sectors. It is the first of its kind pioneering university model, where corporates/industries are the stakeholders and influencers in curriculum design, programme delivery, practical skills training, on-job-training, apprenticeship, etc.

What key strategies contributed in transforming a startup into an accredited full-fledged university?

Medhavi Skills University is true to its commitment to develop skilled manpower base in India. With a clear vision, we deploy a unique combination of best-in-class learning technologies, an industry-relevant curriculum, expert trainers, and practical experiences through on-the-job training in industries. We’ve identified and built skill development infrastructure and resources to maximise reach, delivering best-inclass industry-aligned training curriculum through innovative delivery models after years of research. Keeping up with technological advancements in skill development and education sector is a key priority for MSU. We have a 360-degree student-centric approach. From academic excellence in curriculum to world class practical skill training in relevant industries, skill development of Medhavians make them industry ready beforehand. We at MSU grab all opportunities for increasing employability of students. We have enabled 38,000+ Apprentices through our Apprenticeship Programmes under NAPS. MSU also strategically engages with industry leaders. Besides engaging with industry partners for campus placements, MSU, through its Work Integrated Skill Based Higher Education (WISE) initiative, commits to cater to India’s youth by collaborating with the industry for designing affordable industry-aligned programs and empowering workspaces.

Equipping individuals to keep up with disruptive technologies is one of the key priorities of Medhavi Foundation. How do you think technology evolution is impacting the education sector?

With the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, technology has a powerful role to play in the higher education landscape. Moreover, the National Credit Framework (NCrF) is bringing in a huge change by acknowledging the value of prior learning and experiences, aiding individuals to achieve their educational goals. At MSU, an outcomeoriented ecosystem has been created. We are investing time and resources on competencies and tracking learning outcomes. New age technologies including learning management systems are being deployed to facilitate student academics. Technology has a great role to play in the continuous assessment of teaching and learning outcomes.

How is Medhavi changing lives?

Ever since the inception, the Medhavi group is working incessantly for students in terms of educational access, skill development, community empowerment, especially empowerment of women through education and skill-building initiatives. From industry-relevant education to employability enhancement, MSU also fosters entrepreneurship mindset amongst students. Dedicated to making a positive impact beyond the classroom Medhavi is empowering individuals, transforming communities and shaping a brighter future for generations to come. Talking in numbers, Medhavi has trained 2,20,000+ candidates, placed 1,90,000+ candidates in 20+ states. It has trained 74,000+ candidates in the north eastern states. 105 specially abled youth have been trained and placed by Medhavi. We have 46 Skill Academies and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras, 15+ CSR partners, 500+ Industry partners in 18 sectors. Through our Apprenticeship Programmes under NAPS we have enabled 38,000+ Apprentices.

How do you think educational institutions can transition towards New National Education Policy 2020?

India’s renowned educational institutions have a rich heritage in both- the courses they offer and their teaching methodologies. From syllabus to assessments, everything needs to be transformed technologically. However, initiating the necessary paradigm shift within these institutions demands significant dedication and resources. From curriculum design to evaluation methods, a comprehensive technological overhaul is required. To start with, higher education establishments should prioritise continuous assessment, assign greater importance to quizzes, projects, and practical experiences. Introducing a wider array of courses and opportunities for skill-based grading is essential. Embracing a credit-based curriculum structure, as advocated in the New National Education Policy, is crucial. The priority remains, empowering students to acquire essential skills that are industry relevant. We at MSU are trying to make students ready for the future.