Early-career talent and job search platform Apna has launched India’s first AI Interview Prep Lounge at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Kaushalya Vikas Kendra (ABVKVK) in Kandivali East, Mumbai. The newly established facility was inaugurated by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, marking a structural integration of automated assessment tech within public skilling infrastructure.
The lounge houses three specialized, AI-powered interview preparation kiosks designed by Apna. This deployment integrates the company's digital mock-interview platform directly into the weekly walk-in hiring drives conducted at the ABVKVK center, consolidating career preparation and immediate job discovery into a single physical location.
Interview Readiness
For a significant demographic of entering professionals, structural employment barriers often stem from navigational hurdles during evaluation rounds rather than a deficit in technical talent. Access to formal career coaching, industry mentors, and structured preparation models has historically been skewed toward tier-one institutional graduates, leaving candidates from vocational channels to rely on trial-and-error methods.
The physical kiosks are designed to bridge this specific gap by offering role-specific mock sessions. Job seekers visiting the Kandivali East center can practice for more than 25,000 job profiles across various corporate sectors. The system processes verbal responses to deliver instant performance feedback, operates across multiple Indian languages, and is accessible free of charge to all visitors.
"The Apna AI-enabled Interview Centre represents the future of skill development and employment generation," stated Union Minister Piyush Goyal during the inauguration. "By leveraging Artificial Intelligence to identify opportunities, bridge skill gaps, and prepare candidates for the evolving job market, this initiative will empower our youth to build successful careers and contribute meaningfully to India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047."
Resolving Bottlenecks
The inclusion of localized software tools in vocational hubs targets the conversion rate drop-off between skill acquisition and final corporate onboarding. While institutional frameworks focus heavily on curriculum completion, candidate self-presentation remains a major point of rejection during recruitment drives.
"Every year, millions of Indians invest in building skills and qualifications, yet the transition from learning to employment remains challenging," said Kartik Narayan, Chief Executive Officer of Apna Jobs. "Interview readiness is often the missing link. Through the AI Interview Prep Lounge, we are giving candidates a practical way to prepare, build confidence, receive feedback, and improve their chances of converting opportunities into jobs."
By embedding these diagnostic kiosks directly within a state-supported skilling ecosystem, the platform aims to lower the high attrition rates seen during preliminary screening rounds at mass employment drives.
Skill Infrastructure
The establishment of the Mumbai facility serves as an initial blueprint for the technology firm's broader institutional strategy. Moving forward, the company plans to replicate this physical-digital hybrid model across multiple state-run skilling institutes, engineering and undergraduate campuses, and regional workforce development centers.
"At Apna, our ambition extends beyond connecting people with jobs," noted Nirmit Parikh, Founder & Group CEO of Apna. "We want to build the infrastructure that helps individuals succeed throughout their careers. As technology reshapes the world of work, access to guidance, preparation, and opportunity must become universal. The AI Interview Prep Lounge reflects our belief that every job seeker should have the tools and support needed to realise their potential."
The scalability of the program depends heavily on institutional partnerships with state skill missions. As corporate hiring requirements become increasingly data-driven, localized automated training centers will likely dictate how effectively vocational candidates compete in the formal job economy.
About Apna
Apna is an Indian job search startup founded in 2019. The platform is designed especially for early career professionals, blue collar, and grey collar workers who often struggle to find verified opportunities. Through its mobile app, Apna connects job seekers with trusted employers in sectors like retail, logistics, administration, and technical services. It uses proprietary matching algorithms to recommend suitable roles and also provides communities where workers can network, learn new skills, and prepare for interviews.
