SSPU Launches Asia's First UNESCO Chair on Gender Inclusion in Skills

On April 24, 2026, Symbiosis Skills and Professional University (SSPU) in Pune, India, formally inaugurated the UNESCO Chair on Gender Inclusion and Skill Development. The announcement came during the second edition of the International Conference on Women Leading the Future of Work, which brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and international organizations to address persistent gaps in women's workforce participation.

This marks the first UNESCO Chair of its kind in Asia, established under the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme that launched in 1992. The initiative positions SSPU as a regional platform for research, innovation, and capacity-building focused on gender-responsive education systems aligned with digital and green transitions.

The Chair was formally inaugurated by Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, Government of India. Also present were Ms. Aditi Tatkare, Minister for Women and Child Development, Government of Maharashtra, and Ms. Monica Nagelgaard, Consul General of Norway.

According to the official UNESCO announcement, the conference gathered over 300 participants including representatives from government institutions, universities, industry, international organizations, and civil society. More than 40 industry leaders from sectors such as advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, robotics, semiconductor technology, and global capacity centres contributed to discussions.

Chaudhary emphasized that India's growth trajectory will be defined not only by scale but by how inclusively the country empowers its people. He noted that initiatives like this UNESCO Chair ensure women are at the forefront of emerging sectors such as semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and new-age technologies. When skilling is aligned with industry demand and grounded in equity, it becomes a powerful driver of both economic progress and social transformation.

The statistics driving this initiative are stark. Globally, women represent only 28.2 per cent of the STEM workforce, despite accounting for a significantly higher proportion of graduates in STEM-related disciplines. Closing these gaps remains essential to achieving equitable and sustainable development outcomes, particularly as digital innovation and green economies reshape employment landscapes.

SSPU has been ranked 1st in the Skill Category of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, for both 2024 and 2025. This ranking underscores the university's existing credibility in skill development, making it a logical host for the UNESCO Chair initiative.

As part of the conference outcomes, SSPU launched the SSPU Impact Compendium on Gender Inclusion and Skill Development, documenting practices and lessons learned in advancing women's participation in skills development pathways. The event also introduced the "Kushal Saathi" mentorship initiative, designed to support girls pursuing STEM education and career pathways through mentorship, guidance, and industry engagement.

These initiatives build on ongoing collaboration between UNESCO and SSPU, including programmes such as Jaago: Girls Leading STEM for Sustainable Futures, which promote access to STEM education, green skills, and innovation opportunities for girls and young women.

The conference featured keynote addresses by global experts including Ms. Mary Overington, Trade and Investment Commissioner (South Asia), Mr. Gabriel Bordado, Skills Specialist from the International Labour Organization (ILO), Ms. Soledad Patiño from UNESCO Global Skills Academy in Paris, and Ms. Priscilla Wanjiku Gatonye from UNESCO-UNEVOC in Germany.

Discussions examined how technological transformation and climate transitions are reshaping labour markets worldwide. Participants underscored the need to address persistent structural and socio-cultural barriers limiting women's participation in high-growth sectors. The reality is that policy announcements alone don't change hiring practices or workplace cultures (though they're a necessary starting point).

Panel discussions covered distinct themes focusing on the future of jobs in emerging sunrise sectors such as Defence Technology, Robotics Industry 4.0, AI, Semi-Conductor, and Global Capacity Centres. Industry representatives from companies including Rockwell Automation, Pattern, Capgemini, JABIL, SKF India Ltd, Tata Auto Comp JV Companies, NEC Software, Cognizant, Bajaj General Insurance, and Larsen & Toubro Precision Engineering participated.

The physical experience of attending such conferences matters. Over 300 participants spent a full day moving between panel discussions, networking sessions, and cultural programs. The schedule ran from 11:00 AM through 6:15 PM, with breaks for lunch and tea. That's a lot of information to absorb in one sitting, and the real work begins after the conference adjourns.

UNESCO works with its global network of UNESCO Chairs and partners to ensure that girls and women are not only prepared for the future of work, but empowered to lead the digital and green transitions shaping societies. Strengthening cooperation between education systems, industry, and policymakers is essential to remove barriers to skills access and create equitable pathways toward sustainable development.

The Press Information Bureau release corroborates the timeline and scope of the launch, confirming the presence of key government officials and the formal inauguration proceedings.

Whether this UNESCO Chair translates into measurable improvements in women's employment rates in STEM sectors remains to be seen. The infrastructure is now in place, but implementation will require sustained funding, industry buy-in, and policy enforcement that extends beyond ceremonial launches. Time will tell if the compendium and mentorship initiatives move beyond documentation to actual career outcomes.

Artūras Malašauskas is an AI Systems Integrator with 20+ years of production-grade web engineering experience. He has designed, shipped, and scaled enterprise Python/PHP systems for logistics, SaaS, and public-sector clients. For the past year, he has focused exclusively on AI integrations: deploying open-source LLMs, building generative media pipelines (image, audio, video), and engineering multi-agent workflows for real production environments. His standard: reproducibility, security, cost-efficient inference—no vaporware. He documents and evaluates emerging AI tooling, separating verified capabilities from marketing noise. Technical editor at: muza-ai.eu, ai-verslas.lt, ai-naujinos.lt Connect on LinkedIn