Rushikesh Y. Hiwale
Managing Director & Co‑Founder, Sujata Institute of Information and Technology — building the bridge between education, industry and employability for fifteen years.
Fifteen years at the intersection of education and employability
A professional overview drawn directly from his institutional profile.
Rushikesh Y. Hiwale is an education professional, institutional leader and skill‑development specialist with more than fifteen years of experience across academia, vocational education, workforce development and the social sector.
His work centres on strengthening the connection between education, industry and employability — designing and running industry‑oriented training programmes, apprenticeship models and placement‑linked skill‑development initiatives that improve career outcomes for students and young professionals.
He collaborates with educational institutions, corporate organisations, government departments and non‑profits to build training ecosystems focused on employability, entrepreneurship and livelihood development — work that has touched thousands of students, particularly from economically weaker and socially marginalised communities. His initiatives align with national programmes including the Skill India Mission, Digital India, the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), and apprenticeship frameworks such as NAPS and NATS.
Entries, as recorded
Kept the way his own training centres keep records — a running ledger of outcomes, not adjectives.
Positions held, in his own words
Click any role to read the full description.
Managing Director & Co‑Founder
Serves as Managing Director and Co‑Founder of the Institute, a skill‑development and employability‑training organisation empowering youth through education, digital literacy and professional training. The Institute operates under Sujata Magasvargiya Mahila Mandal, a registered non‑profit committed to social development, women's empowerment and community upliftment. Under his leadership it has grown into a recognised centre for vocational training, digital education and career development. His responsibilities span strategic planning, institutional development, programme design, corporate partnership development and project implementation — with a focus on training models that combine technical knowledge, practical exposure and workplace readiness. Through the Institute's initiatives, more than 27,000 students and youth have received professional training, and over 9,000 have secured employment across IT, BFSI, retail, logistics and digital services.
Director / Partner
Contributes as a strategic leader responsible for business development, training services and project management. The organisation provides technology‑driven training programmes, IT services and professional‑development solutions for students, institutions and corporate clients. His role covers overseeing operations, building industry collaborations, and ensuring successful delivery of skill‑development and technology‑based training — working closely with academic institutions and corporate clients to build customised training modules.
Head of Department — Retail Management (B.Voc)
Leads the Retail Management department under the Bachelor of Vocation (B.Voc) programme, strengthening vocational education within higher education. Responsibilities include academic planning, curriculum design, faculty development, student mentoring and industry engagement. The programme prepares students for careers in retail and services by integrating theory with practical training, emphasising outcome‑based, skill‑oriented and experiential learning in consumer behaviour analysis, retail operations, sales strategy and customer relationship management.
Training & Placement Officer (TPO)
Serves as the link between academic institutions and the corporate sector — organising career‑guidance sessions, employability workshops, internships, apprenticeships and campus recruitment drives. By building strong industry relationships, he has enabled large‑scale placement drives and apprenticeship programmes that smooth the transition from academic learning to employment.
Centre Head & Authorisation Learning Centre Manager
Led a centre under the National Digital Literacy Mission / Digital India Programme, delivering foundational computer‑literacy training to the local community.
Career Counseling Specialist
Provided career counselling for youth exploring different opportunities across the IT and non‑IT sectors, on‑site across Maharashtra.
Digital India Programme Coordinator
Contributed to the PMGDISHA rollout under the Digital India Programme in the greater Aurangabad area, extending digital‑literacy training to rural communities.
Where his practice runs deepest
Skill Development Program Design
Apprenticeship Training (NAPS / NATS)
Training & Placement Coordination
Career Counselling & Youth Mentorship
Retail Management & Consumer Behaviour Research
Academic Curriculum Development
CSR Project Implementation & Management
Institutional Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement
Designed and delivered across five domains
IT & Digital Skills
Full Stack Development, Web Development, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing and Advanced Excel — equipping learners for the digital economy.
Sector‑Specific Employability Training
Retail Management, Banking & Financial Services (BFSI), Logistics and E‑commerce — practical insight into industry operations and workplace expectations.
Corporate Training & Upskilling
Customised modules delivered to corporate employees to sharpen technical skills, digital competency, productivity and professional performance.
College Value‑Added Programs
Collaborations with 16+ colleges across Maharashtra to introduce certification programmes that raise student employability before graduation.
Government Skill Development Programs
PMGDISHA, National Digital Literacy Mission, Digital India initiatives, and apprenticeship training under NAPS & NATS — bringing digital and computer literacy to rural and underprivileged communities.
CSR & Corporate Partnerships
Placement‑linked training, digital‑literacy projects and women's‑empowerment initiatives delivered in partnership with leading corporates across multiple regions.
Institutions and appointments, in sequence
Partner
Leading strategic planning, business development and client operations; managing training initiatives, IT services and corporate partnerships; overseeing project execution and human‑resource development.
Head of Department, Retail Management
Heads the Retail Management department, overseeing curriculum, faculty and student outcomes for the B.Voc programme.
Training & Placement Officer (TPO)
Builds industry connections for internships, apprenticeships and placements; runs employability training, career counselling and professional‑development programmes; organises mega placement drives and campus recruitment.
Concurrent: Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA), Digital India Programme — Feb 2017 – Present · 9 yrs 6 mos · Greater Aurangabad Area.
Marketing & Public Relations Manager
Drives marketing, public relations and institutional visibility for the Institute's training and outreach programmes.
Public Relations Manager
Longest‑running institutional role, anchoring public relations across the organisation's growth from its early years.
Concurrent: Career Counseling Specialist, Haygot Education Private Limited · Full‑time · Jan 2020 – Oct 2021 · 1 yr 10 mos · Maharashtra, On‑site — career counselling for youth across IT and non‑IT sector opportunities.
Marketing Manager
Managed marketing operations for MKCL's Kshitij Computers centre.
Centre Head & Authorisation Learning Centre Manager
Ran a learning centre under the National Digital Literacy Mission / Digital India Programme.
Concurrent: National Digital Literacy Mission, Digital India Programme — Feb 2014 – 2016 · 2 yrs · India.
Academic foundation
Published work
UGC CARE — A Study on Skill Gap in Undergraduate Students Across the Pune Region.
A Study on Issues and Challenges in the New National Education Policy.
International Journal — A Study on Sustainable Employability Skill Gap in MBA Management Students in Pune City.
Research on Skill Gap Analysis — Gender‑Wise Impact of the Pandemic on the Informal Sector, studied among women domestic workers in Pune.
A Comparative Study of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) vs Native Apps — User Experience (UX).
Who these programmes reach
Beyond academic and professional duties, his work has extended training, entrepreneurship guidance, digital‑literacy education and career counselling to communities most in need of sustainable livelihoods.
Rural youth seeking employment opportunities
Women from economically weaker sections
First‑generation college students
Youth from urban slum communities
Individuals lacking access to formal education and training
Organisations he has worked alongside
Collaborations that combine corporate expertise with social‑development objectives — placement‑linked training, digital literacy and women's‑empowerment initiatives.
Achievements, certifications & honours
Leading skill‑development initiatives benefiting more than 27,000 students and youth.
Facilitating over 9,000 successful job placements across various industries.
Establishing collaborations with corporate organisations, academic institutions and NGOs.
Implementing CSR‑funded skill‑development projects across Maharashtra.
Organising large‑scale campus recruitment and apprenticeship programmes.
Promoting digital literacy and employability training among rural communities.
Google Digital Marketing Certification
Online Marketing Fundamentals Certification
Certificate Course in Financial Accounting with Tally ERP
Personal Finance & Money Management — C‑DAC
Participation Certificate — Incredible India Initiative
Yoga Quiz Participation Certificate
New Product Development Professional (NPDP) — British Council
Wheebox Employability Skill Test Certification — Association of Indian University
Advance Course in Financial Accounting — Government of Maharashtra
Course on Computer Concept (CCC) — NIELIT, National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology, Patna
CAD/CAM — Indo German Tool Room
Letter of Appreciation for contributions to education and skill‑development initiatives
Certificate of Publication for academic research contributions
Participant, Incredible India — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India
Participant, Defence Struggle — Ministry of Defence of India
Participant, Governance Quiz — Government of India
Participant, Yoga Quiz — Government of India
Participant, Quiz on Padma Awards — Government of India
Marathi — Full Professional Proficiency
Hindi — Full Professional Proficiency
English — Professional Working Proficiency
"Skill development should not only enhance employability, but contribute to economic empowerment, social transformation, and a skilled, confident workforce for the future."
His long‑term vision is an integrated education and skill‑development ecosystem — one that gives learners industry‑relevant competencies, practical experience, and sustainable career opportunities.
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