What we learned from 420 trainees: reflections on the 2023 Vijayawada cohort

Where the model bent

The hospitality track ran one fewer batch than originally planned because campus-interview volumes dropped sharply through April-June. Trainees who had already started got full curriculum delivery and 90-day post-placement support; new enrolments were paused until the placement pipeline recovered in Q3.

Where it held

The healthcare-assisting track ran ahead of plan: Apollo and a handful of tier-2 chains expanded their entry-level intake through the year, and the placement rate on that track held above 80%. Tailoring and electrical wiring placement rates also held steady through the soft quarter — those tracks place into a more local, less cyclical labour market.

• 420 trainees graduated across six trade tracks in 2023
• 74% placed within 90 days at an average starting salary of ₹12,400 per month
• 62% of placed trainees are first-generation salary earners in their families
• Adolescent life-skills curriculum reached 6,800 students in 38 partner schools

“My mother weaves baskets at home. My elder sister works as a daily wage labourer. I am the first person in my family to draw a salary.”— K Anitha, BPO trainee — Vijayawada Skill Centre, 2023 cohort

For 2024 we are doubling down on industry partnership at the syllabus level — every trade track now runs a quarterly review with at least two employers — and adding a peer-mentoring layer where 2023 graduates check in with the next cohort during their first month at work.