Karnataka's first skill development policy aims to make state global hub for skilled workforce

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with cabinet ministers at the State Legislative Assembly, in Bengaluru (PTI/File Photo)

Karnataka cabinet on Thursday approved the state's first-ever Skill Development Policy 2025-2032, aimed at positioning the state as a premier hub for skilled workforce and talent and driving its vision of becoming a USD 1 trillion economy by 2032.

The policy leverages digital technologies and AI-driven tools for training, assessment, and career guidance through a unified digital portal.

It also emphasises international workforce mobility by facilitating global certifications, migration support, and specialised training, officials said.

Although the Department of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship & Livelihood was established in 2017 to coordinate and drive skilling initiatives, Karnataka had no formal skill development policy until now.

The department's Minister, Sharanprakash Patil, said the absence of a policy framework meant that skilling efforts were often fragmented across multiple departments.

He said, "With the growing demand for a skilled workforce to meet state, national and global needs, there was an urgent requirement to streamline and integrate initiatives under a common vision and strategy. The Karnataka Skill Development Policy 2025-2032 addresses this gap by aligning skilling with education, employment, and industry requirements, while also ensuring inclusivity, equity, and future readiness." Key highlight of the policy is the integration of vocational education into schools, colleges, and universities through credit-based programmes.

It also provides for a strong industry collaboration through apprenticeships, industry-led training, and ITI adoption; focus on lifelong learning, reskilling, and upskilling to match rapid technological and industrial changes.

Special interventions for women, persons with disabilities, marginalised communities, the urban poor, and the informal workforce are also proposed in the policy, along with infrastructure upgradation, including modernisation of ITIs, expansion of Government Tool Room & Training Centres (GTTCs), and setting up of rural and urban skilling hubs.

The policy also envisages a robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework, with 5 per cent of scheme budgets earmarked for M&E.

Chief Minister's Kaushalya Karnataka Yojane (CMKKY) 2.0 is positioned as an umbrella scheme to unify all state skilling programmes under a life-cycle approach to skilling, it said.