BENGALURU: Studying sustainability and becoming an expert in the subject matter, as various brands look at it as a thriving field, Bengaluru hosted India’s first Sustainability Accelerator Internship for the top 20 school students from across the country. The objective of a 5-day industry engagement session (November 5-9) was to provide hands-on experience to high school students about green skills, green jobs, and a sustainability mindset.
The programme was organized by One Million for One Billion (1M1B), an NGO in partnership with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd, and aims to develop India’s largest future-ready workforce. Currently, the green economy is booming, and the country’s green industry is expected to add 3.7 million jobs by FY25 to the current 18.5 million, according to the Green Industry Outlook report by Team Lease.
“Green skills, simply put, are about placing sustainability at the core of whatever you do,” explained Manav Subodh, founder of 1M1B. The internship aims to encourage students to be valuable contributors to climate change and introduce them to how technology can play a role in shaping a greener planet. The students will also be mentored by global leaders to build their prototypes and provide a space to pitch their innovations.
Subodh added, “As the government increases its focus on renewable energy, encouraging sustainable development, and mitigating climate change, we can expect new jobs to emerge that did not exist before, such as sustainability managers, green architects, power engineers, energy managers, circular economy experts, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) consultants and more.” He explained that industries like textiles, IT, chip manufacturing companies, food and beverage, hospitality, and lifestyle companies will need a green workforce soon.
Meghana D, Grade 8, from Harvest International School, was the only individual selected for the internship from Bengaluru. Sharing her experience, she said, “The exposure and skills I got were great. I got to interact with people at the grassroots level. I got to visit villages, see the daily problems faced by the people, and observe their struggles.” Meghana plans to take up a career in sustainability and work on solutions for an entire community.