Give a Man a Fish… But What If He Wanted to Build Submarines?

This article challenges the traditional approach to CSR-driven skill development, which often prioritises basic vocational training for quick employability. It argues that such models risk overlooking the deeper aspirations and untapped potential of individuals from underserved communities. Instead, it advocates for a shift towards a capability-driven philosophy—one that begins with understanding the learner’s aptitude and ambition, and builds tiered, aspirational pathways to ensure not just poverty alleviation, but genuine empowerment, upward mobility, and human flourishing.

Bratindra B.

4/19/20254 min read

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

It’s a proverb we’ve heard a hundred times. A lesson in long-term thinking, self-reliance, and practical compassion.

But here’s a twist we rarely consider:

What if the man didn’t want to fish at all?
What if he wanted to design fishing boats, study marine ecosystems, or build submarines?

Would we still hand him a fishing rod? Would we still call it empowerment?

This is the silent dilemma at the heart of most skilling programmes under corporate social responsibility in India.

The Good, the Necessary… and the Incomplete

Skill development under CSR has largely followed a well-intentioned logic:

Identify low-income youth.
Train them in a trade.
Enable them to earn.
Reduce poverty.

This approach is essential, especially in communities where survival itself is a challenge. Providing employable skills such as tailoring, plumbing, driving, and data entry has lifted thousands out of precarity. For many, a ₹9,000-a-month job is a turning point.

But is it always enough?

Let us consider an uncomfortable possibility: that we might be training some learners far below their actual potential. That we might be offering basic employment to individuals capable of excellence. That in trying to help, we sometimes unintentionally cap aspiration.

Who Are We Missing?

Across CSR skilling programmes, we encounter bright learners who grasp complex ideas quickly, who show initiative, creativity, leadership.

A girl in a data entry course who taught herself Python online.
A boy in a mobile repair programme who reverse-engineers apps on borrowed phones.
A young woman in a tailoring batch who sketches original clothing designs in her notebook.

What becomes of them?

All too often, they’re placed in entry-level jobs with no advancement pathway. Their intelligence is noted. Their ambition is ignored.

We applaud their work ethic but never ask what they truly want to become.

A Silent Shift: What the NSDC Report Hints At

The 2020 NSDC report, “Overview of Existing and Emerging Models for Skilling in India”, suggests that India’s skilling ecosystem is beginning to mature—and inch closer to this very dilemma.

Among its most significant contributions is its recognition that skilling must begin with understanding the learner, not just training them.

Some encouraging trends include:

Pre-assessment and Counselling: Many newer models emphasise evaluating the aptitude and aspiration of trainees before enrolling them. This helps match learners with suitable training—not just what’s available.
Use of Technology for Career Mapping: AI-powered tools like iDreamCareer and CareerGuide are being used to identify learners’ interests and align them with possible career paths, introducing nuance and personalisation into the process.
Skills Universities and Advanced Centres: The emergence of Skills Universities, Global Skills Parks, and Centres of Excellence shows a growing recognition of the need for tiered learning—from basic to advanced—and of providing academic parity for vocational streams.
Support for Entrepreneurs: Accelerators and incubators are now part of India’s skilling landscape, offering an avenue for ambitious learners to create rather than just participate in the economy.
Industry Collaboration for Niche Skills: Training is no longer limited to mass-demand trades. Increasingly, industry-aligned skilling for fields like automation, robotics, mechatronics, and AI is being introduced.

These developments signal a shift—from skilling as subsistence to skilling as aspiration.

But we’re not there yet.

Skilling for Capability, Not Just Employment

To bridge this gap, we need a new philosophical foundation—one rooted in human capability rather than just employability.

Economist Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach reminds us that development must be judged not merely by income gains but by the real freedoms people have to lead lives they value.

Seen through this lens, skilling is not just about jobs—it’s about opening doors.
It’s not about fixing deficits. It’s about unlocking possibility.

What Must Change: Four Shifts in Mindset and Practice

1. Start with Discovery, Not Delivery

Every skilling programme must begin by understanding who the learner is—not just what training is on offer.

Aspirations, interests, and aptitudes must be mapped, even through basic tools. This isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Without it, we risk assigning livelihoods without ever asking about lives worth living.

When a learner’s dreams align with their training, outcomes are stronger, retention improves, and real transformation becomes possible.

2. Design Tiered Pathways, Not One-Time Interventions

Skill development must be seen as a journey, not an event.

We need structured pathways for learners to progress—from basic to intermediate to advanced skills. This includes creating linkages between short-term training and long-term education, enabling vertical mobility through diplomas, degrees, and work-based learning.

Skills Universities, Centres of Excellence, and industry-led labs can offer bridges to deeper growth for those who are ready. CSR can play a catalytic role in financing or facilitating these transitions.

3. Track Progression, Not Just Placement

Many CSR reports boast of 75% placement rates. But how many of those placed remain employed? How many progress in their careers?

Impact must be measured not just by “how many got a job” but by:

How much income mobility occurred over 1–3 years
How many started enterprises
How many became community leaders or mentors
How many accessed continued learning

Success must be redefined as trajectory, not just entry.

4. Empower, Don’t Prescribe

When skilling programmes operate from a mindset of “fixing the poor,” they reinforce dependency. When they operate from a mindset of “partnering with potential,” they foster agency.

The goal should be to equip people to make informed decisions—not to pre-decide what’s best for them.

We must believe that underserved communities are not passive recipients of charity, but active agents of change.

Why CSR Must Lead This Transition

Government skilling schemes face limitations of scale, standardisation, and resource allocation. CSR, on the other hand, has the agility to innovate.

CSR can pilot new models of aspiration-based skilling. It can fund counsellors, design modular progression ladders, or partner with Skills Universities to create high-touch programmes for high-potential learners.

Most importantly, CSR can take risks that the public system cannot—and in doing so, transform how we think about talent in India’s development story.

A Final Thought

Let us return to the proverb:

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

But what if he wanted to do more than fish?

What if he wanted to design eco-friendly boats, build an app to track fish migration, or lead a coastal sustainability programme?

Will we still teach him to fish? Or will we help him swim toward what he’s truly capable of?

Because the real challenge is not just to train people for survival,
but to create the conditions in which they can thrive.