Apna has launched what it describes as India’s first AI-powered Interview Preparation Lounge at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Kaushalya Vikas Kendra (ABVKVK) in Kandivali East, Mumbai, as part of efforts to strengthen interview readiness and employability among job seekers.
The facility was inaugurated by Piyush Goyal and introduces AI-driven interview preparation tools within a public skilling ecosystem.
The initiative integrates Apna’s interview preparation platform into the centre’s existing walk-in hiring programmes, combining job discovery and interview preparation within a single candidate journey.
The lounge features three AI-powered interview preparation kiosks that allow candidates to undertake role-specific mock interviews, receive real-time feedback on their responses and explore employment opportunities relevant to their profiles.
According to the company, the platform supports preparation for more than 25,000 job roles across industries and offers multilingual capabilities. The service is available free of charge to candidates visiting the centre.
The launch reflects a broader trend within the skilling and employment ecosystem, where artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to address employability challenges beyond technical training. While access to skills development programmes has expanded significantly in recent years, many job seekers continue to face difficulties transitioning from training to employment, particularly during the interview and hiring stages.
Industry stakeholders have identified interview preparedness, communication skills and access to guidance as persistent barriers, especially for first-time job seekers and candidates from underserved backgrounds.
Speaking at the inauguration, Piyush Goyal highlighted the potential role of AI in supporting skill development, employment generation and workforce readiness as India continues its broader digital transformation journey.
Apna said the initiative is intended to provide candidates with a structured environment where they can practise interview scenarios, build confidence and receive immediate feedback before engaging with prospective employers.
Nirmit Parikh, Founder and Group CEO of Apna, stated that the company views career support as extending beyond job matching and increasingly encompassing preparation, guidance and employability services.
Kartik Narayan, Chief Executive Officer of Apna Jobs, noted that interview readiness often remains a critical gap between skills acquisition and successful employment outcomes, particularly for candidates entering the workforce.
The company plans to expand the model to additional skilling institutions, educational campuses and workforce development centres across the country.
The launch comes at a time when AI-driven career services are gaining traction globally, with organisations exploring how technology can support candidate assessment, personalised learning, interview coaching and workforce development at scale.
Founded as a jobs and talent platform focused on early-career professionals, Apna connects job seekers with employers across blue-collar, grey-collar and entry-level white-collar roles. The company has increasingly expanded its offerings to include AI-powered career preparation and workforce readiness tools as part of its broader employment ecosystem.