Medha
India is getting a lot more kids from low-income families into post-secondary technical and vocational education. They often lack the mindset, soft skills, and connections to get good jobs.
The Idea
Career Coaching
Total Investment
1600000
Grants
0
Equity/SAFE
0
Debt/Convertible Debt
Funded Since
2020
Geography
Sector
Structure
The Mission
Get Indian youth into rewarding careers.
How It Works
Medha trains government career counselors to deliver effective, practical sessions focused on getting students good jobs. Their idea is that a career mindset is more powerful than simply trying to get a job. Students learn the soft ”employability” skills needed for better jobs, and they get on-the-job experiences to reinforce them. A vital alumni network helps stack the deck for a subsequent career.
The Dream
All public vocational and technical schools incorporate career coaching and counseling into their curriculum.
Why We're In
India is investing enormous sums into “skilling.” Medha graduates earn $374 a month compared to $287 for their peers—1.3x more and a life-changing difference. This is a far better result than other government funded programs, and at lower cost. The solution is being delivered by trained facilitators and integrated into existing school curriculum across four states. This is the perfect time for them to go big.
The Model
A solution that works and can scale.
Career Counseling
Trained counselors in government institutions help students find the right career
Employability Skills
Critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication.
Quality Work Experience
Students get work experience, earn income, and try out different career paths.
Strong Alumni Community
Alumni network provides further career opportunities and peer support.
Potential for Impact at Scale
Mulago uses four criteria to gauge potential for exponential impact. The model must be:
This is about impact. Medha has solid evidence of impact on the direct outcome of career readiness and employability, and the long term outcomes of increased income. They have a combination of rigorous studies, multi-year panel surveys, and an ongoing RCT. A recent RCT from JPAL showed significant gains in career readiness (15-30% more students have resumes and perform better in interviews, which is a 0.6 standard deviation increase over a control group). 3rd party surveys of Medha alumni show a 30% increase in income over similar students who didn’t have Medha training (from $287 / month to $374 / month), and 28% of students eventually reach over INR 30k / month, a quality, livable wage in India. An ongoing RCT is evaluating the impact of their government-led programs, and should deliver more rigorous income data.
This is about scope. It’s big. 150 million youth in India are in some form of education or 'skilling program.’ Governments need the staff and capacity to deliver the model; a public education system focused on technical skills; a job market with enough opportunities; social norms for youth to pursue private sector careers. This appears likely to work across India, though depends on each state’s education system and staff capacity.
This is about whether government can effectively deliver at scale. Medha have replicated the model across four states – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, and Uttarakhand – and now are transitioning to the Government as the Doer and Payer. Medha trains existing government staff in their curriculum, and actively lobby to get more trainers in the system. Their team still does a lot of the management, supervision, quality control, and employer relations – parts of the model that will have to transition to government over time.
This is about cost and whether government can afford it. The model doesn’t require big upfront investments in staff, equipment, or materials – it’s mostly existing human capital governments already have. Most state governments invest $900 / student in vocational and skilling trainings, so this is a bargain (and a good case that even more of the budget should go to Medha curriculum and programs). Medha calculates a return on investment of 223%, using the average annual salaries of Medha graduates compared to non-Mehda gradutes (see Good Enough), divided by the cost of government to place a student in employment ($1300). They’re working to reduce the cost of placement.
Medha are well into growth stage.
Our Take
Medha have good evidence for their stage, persuasive and bordering on rigorous. Income data is hard to come by, but the leading indicators of employment and career readiness are a good sign. The ongoing RCT measuring impact through government-led programs will tell us a lot. Most students come from extremely poor, rural households – any wage based salary is a huge improvement. The program was re-designed to scale via government partners, and they made quick progress over the last two years – they’ll get even better at ‘selling’ governments with more traction. It’s almost too cheap – they can do more if they can get a higher share of the budget, as career training is typically underfunded.
Are you a serious funder and want to learn more?
This is just a snapshot of what we know about the organization. If you're an investor or funder that might send some serious dough their way, we're always delighted to share more. Reach out and we'll connect you with the right person on our team.
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