How India’s rural youth are creating their own opportunities

When Khyali Devaliya began looking for a job at 20, she thought of a young woman in her hometown of Talala, in India's Gujarat state, who had gone through a skills and employment programme called Yuva Junction. The programme had helped the woman secure a job, but something else also caught Devaliya's attention: the young woman's confidence.

Devaliya, who comes from a family of farmers, decided to enrol, hoping to move into formal employment. “Finding a job is tough,” she says. “You need particular skills and experience and a network.”

According to the World Bank, 16 percent of India's labour force aged 15 to 24 was unemployed in 2025, compared with 4.2 percent of the labour force overall. In 2023, 80 percent of Yuva Junction participants had not completed secondary school, primarily due to poverty, a significant factor limiting their job prospects. For young people from farming families in rural areas, many without secondary education, and with no formal work experience or professional network, that gap can feel difficult to close.

The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) (AKRSP-India) launched Yuva Junction in 2007 in response to the changing aspirations of rural young people. It provides English, basic IT and life-skills training alongside vocational training in areas including retail, business process outsourcing (BPO), computer hardware, nursing, beauty and wellness, and sewing and stitching. The programme also works with employers to connect trained young people with job opportunities.

After three months of training, Devaliya was connected with potential employers and secured a job as a cashier in a large department store. Five months into the role, she was already earning more than her parents.

Securing the job, however, was only one part of the transition. Taking it meant relocating away from her family. “Both of my parents were not ready to let me move. I had to convince them,” Devaliya says. “They were afraid because it’s a big city, far away from them. How would I manage alone? Where would I live? How would I commute to work? I was also a bit afraid,” she admits. The adjustment was difficult.

To support young women making this transition, Yuva Junction established housing centres where participants could live together while receiving support from counsellors and placement officers. These centres helped increase the retention rate of women in the employment programme from 30 percent to 80 percent, as of 2023.

Devaliya has adjusted to city life and periodically visits her family on weekends. She’s considering further education to broaden her employment prospects.

"Every girl should think about her future career and want the best for herself," she says.

Watch the animation above.