IBM and 1M1B Connect Youth to Employment Opportunities at Lucknow Job Mela
Lucknow, August 5, 2026: In a major step towards strengthening youth employability in Uttar Pradesh, IBM, in collaboration with 1M1B Foundation as implementation partner, and with support from the Department of Labour & Employment, the Department of Technical Education, and the Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission (UPSDM), Government of Uttar Pradesh, organised a large-scale Job Mela at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Lucknow on Monday, August 3, 2026. The event brought together thousands of young job seekers and dozens of employers, with several candidates receiving on-the-spot job offers and appointment letters. The programme was inaugurated in the presence of Shri Anil Rajbhar, Cabinet Minister, Labour, Employment and Coordination Department; Shri Kapil Dev Agarwal, Minister of State for Vocational Education and Skill Development; Shri Awanish Kumar Awasthi, Advisor to the Hon’ble Chief Minister; senior officials from the Government of Uttar Pradesh; IBM representatives; 1M1B leadership; and industry and academic partners. At the event, IBM and UPSDM exchanged an MoU to strengthen IBM’s skilling initiatives in the state.
The Job Mela advances IBM’s commitment to train 50 lakh learners in India in AI, Cybersecurity, and Quantum Computing by 2030, building on IBM and 1M1B’s ongoing skilling initiatives in Uttar Pradesh, including the Generation AI @ 2047 Summit held on 17 March 2026, where student innovators showcased AI-based solutions to Shri Sunil Kumar Sharma, Hon’ble Minister of IT & Electronics, Uttar Pradesh. Focused on creating a pathway from skilling to employment, the initiative provided career-readiness training through IBM SkillsBuild, IBM’s free technology education program, then mapped candidates to suitable employers based on their qualifications and workplace skills. Participating employers from technology, manufacturing, engineering, telecom, logistics, renewable energy, and services sectors offered roles across technical, operational, sales, customer support, and AI-enabled functions to candidates from engineering, ITI, polytechnic, management, and science backgrounds.
Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India and South Asia said: “IBM is proud to support Uttar Pradesh government’s ambition of building a future-ready workforce by preparing young people with industry-relevant skills in emerging technologies like AI and professional capabilities through IBM SkillsBuild. Our long-term goal is to equip learners with skills needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving digital economy. With our close collaboration with government, academia and industry, we are making skilling opportunities accessible and through events like Job Mela, fostering stronger connections between trained talent and employers.”
Shri Kapil Dev Agarwal, Minister of State for Vocational Education and Skill Development, Govt. of UP said: “Uttar Pradesh’s journey towards becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy is built on the strength of its youth. Initiatives like this Job Mela reflect our government’s commitment to ensuring that every young person who is skilled also finds a pathway to meaningful employment. This MOU with IBM is a strong example of how industry collaboration can turn skilling into real employment outcomes for the youth of our state.”
Shri Anil Rajbhar, Cabinet Minister, Labour, Employment and Coordination Department, Govt. of UP said: “Our government is committed to building a robust employment ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh, where skilled youth and industry can come together seamlessly. This Job Mela, organised by IBM and 1M1B, reflects that vision in action, and I am glad to see so many of our young people finding real employment opportunities today.”
Shri Awanish Kumar Awasthi, Advisor to the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Govt. of UP, said: “Employment is the true measure of successful skilling. Our focus is to ensure that young people are not only educated but also equipped with the skills, confidence, and industry exposure needed to succeed in today’s evolving job market. Initiatives like this help bridge the gap between education and employment while strengthening Uttar Pradesh’s future workforce.”
Manav Subodh, Founder and CEO, 1M1B Foundation, said: “A Job Mela should not be seen as an event, it should be seen as the last mile of the skilling journey. India doesn’t have a shortage of ambition or opportunity; it has a shortage of pathways connecting the two. Through our partnership with IBM and the Government of Uttar Pradesh, 1M1B is bringing together industry, technology, and youth to bridge that gap and make employability measurable through jobs. Our goal is not just to train young people, but to ensure they have access to meaningful careers.”
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