UNICEF YuWaah, in collaboration with iDreamCareer, launched the Bharat Career Aspirations Report 2025 (BCAR 2025) on Friday– a comprehensive study that explores the career aspirations of students from Classes 9 to 12 across India. The Bharat Career Aspirations Report 2025 (BCAR) was released by Himanshu Gupta, Secretary, CBSE, and it builds on previous editions to offer deeper insights into the evolving career landscape and challenges faced by India’s youth.
BCAR 2025, the third edition of our flagship Bharat Career Aspirations Report, explores how career guidance can transform young lives. Building on insights from 2023 and 2024, this year’s report goes deeper — analysing how socio-economic factors such as geography, school type, and social categories influence students’ aspirations and access to opportunities. With a special focus on Government and private schools, BCAR 2025 highlights gaps in information, counselling, and decision-making, offering actionable solutions to help every student pursue an ambition-based career.
“Career plays a vital role in shaping a child’s future, and the process of career planning must begin early in the school years. The Bharat Career Aspirations Report 2025 reveals that only 10 per cent of students currently have access to professional career guidance. To address this gap, CBSE is developing qualification standards and training modules to prepare certified career counselors. These counselors will guide students in making informed choices aligned with their interests and skills. Implementing this initiative at scale will mark a transformative step towards building a future-ready education system that enables every child to realize their true potential,” said Gupta said on the occasion.
“Career guidance is not a luxury; it is a necessity for every young person to make informed choices about their future. Reports like BCAR 2025 give us the evidence we need to act together. At YuWaah, we believe collaboration between schools, Governments, and private sector partners is key to ensuring every student has access to the right information, counselling, and opportunities to turn their aspirations into reality,” said Abhishek Gupta, Chief Operating Officer, UNICEF YuWaah The BCAR 2025 survey explores young people’s career aspirations, challenges, and access to guidance through a comparative study of private and Government schools. It assesses students’ self-awareness, knowledge of courses and colleges, financial considerations, and backup plans, while examining the role of counselling, key influences, and barriers in shaping career decisions.
The survey further compares patterns across states, district types, socio-economic backgrounds, school types, grades, and gender. This edition, covering 21,239 students across 14 districts in seven states - Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, and Rajasthan, aims to amplify young voices and co-create a future where career choices are aspiration-driven.