Archana Thakran

Co-Founder & CEO at Accel Skill | Global Talent Mobility & Workforce Strategy | Employer-Aligned International Solutions

Delhi, India

About

Global workforce mobility and skills development professional with over a decade of experience across higher education, vocational training, and international talent ecosystems. As Co-Founder & CEO of Accel Skill, I work at the convergence of education, labour markets, and migration—designing structured pathways that connect skilled talent from India to global workforce needs, particularly across Europe. My work focuses on enabling ethical, demand-driven talent mobility by aligning skilling systems with employer requirements, regulatory frameworks, and international standards. I actively engage with employers, institutions, and public stakeholders to address critical workforce shortages in sectors such as healthcare and hospitality, while ensuring fair, transparent, and sustainable mobility pathways. With extensive experience in faculty development and capacity building, I have trained over 7,000 educators and professionals across India, Mauritius, and Africa. This has strengthened my ability to design scalable, inclusive skilling models that respond to both local development priorities and global labour market demands. I am particularly interested in contributing to policy dialogue and implementation frameworks around skills, migration, and employment—working with governments, multilateral agencies, and industry to build resilient, future-ready workforce ecosystems. I believe that well-governed talent mobility can serve as a powerful lever for economic growth, social equity, and international cooperation.

Experience

  • Co-Founder & CEO at Accel Skill Edutech Private Limited
    Feb 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 5 mos

    Accel Skill is a technology-enabled workforce mobility platform focused on building structured, employer-aligned international talent pipelines. We partner with organisations across global markets to design compliant, sustainable cross-border workforce solutions that integrate skills preparation, certified language training, and structured mobility processes into one aligned ecosystem. Our model supports employers with: • Pre-qualified, workforce-ready talent • Standardised preparation frameworks • Compliance-aware mobility processes • Structured integration pathways Rather than transactional hiring, we position international mobility as a long-term workforce strategy — aligning employer workforce planning with scalable global talent supply. Our approach combines technology, institutional collaboration, and ethical mobility standards to reduce friction, increase transparency, and ensure sustainable workforce continuity.

  • Co-Founder at Skills Mitra Academy
    2020 - Present · 6 yrs 6 mos

    At Skills Mitra Academy, we train faculty on the use of ICT in education especially the effective use of Open Educational Resources (OER). We are on a mission to improve the quality, access, and equity of education. We cater to two stakeholders of education - the faculty and students. We empower faculty and students of the developing nations through transformational and innovative interventions aimed at filling in the gaps in terms of curriculum, pedagogy and faculty development.

  • Strategic Relationship Consultant at Saylor Academy
    Jun 2020 - Jan 2024 · 3 yrs 8 mos

    As an Independent Strategic Consultant with Saylor Academy, my role revolves around the facilitation of Saylor Academy partnerships with various Higher Education Institutions in India. -Represent Saylor Academy in India to various Government/private/ Not-For-Profit organizations and advocate the Saylor Academy's work. Saylor Academy offers Free online courses along with free certification. There are no fees involved at any stage neither to the learners nor to the partnering institute. We are on the mission to make basic education free to everyone through our free courses.

  • Advisor Partnership & Training at Magic Billion
    Oct 2021 - Oct 2022 · 1 yr 1 mo

    My role revolves around providing partnership and Training advisory for various programs of MB to support their vision in sending Indian youth to various global destination like Europe, Australia etc.

  • Assistant Deputy Director at Shri Vishwakarma Skill University, Haryana
    Feb 2021 - Jun 2021 · 5 mos

    SVSU is India's first Govt Skills University established with a vision to create skilled industry ready human resources through its Dual Education Model. It offers Graduate, PG and Skill PhD level programs besides short term courses. All the programs are offered under 'Earn while you Learn' scheme where students under go long term On-the-Job (OJT) training with respective Industry partners.