Deshpande Skilling is a pioneering residential skill development organization that was started by the Deshpande Foundation in 2010. It was born out of the pressing need for skilled human resources to power the growth of the 100+ social impact organizations the Foundation was working with. Rural youth, with education ranging from primary school to graduates, were equipped with essential hands-on skill sets currently in demand in the local economy. They also cultivated exemplary personality traits like discipline, hard-work, sincerity, resourcefulness and most importantly, a problem-solving mindset, which enabled them to secure gainful employment in local enterprises with significantly higher salaries compared to their peers.

Today, DS has grown to become recognized as India's leading skill development organization, which not only teaches youth necessary skills for employment but makes them learners for life. Our alumni have soared to great heights as entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, bringing glory to their employers and more importantly, to their families and communities who had given up hope. DSians are the torchbearers of a new India - they shatter glass ceilings, break barriers of class, caste and region and look at every problem as an opportunity for personal and professional growth.