Developing skills among youth is essential to promote self-employment, economic growth, and global competitiveness.
Bengaluru
Karnataka has launched its first-ever Skill Development Policy 2025–2032, aimed at positioning the state as a global hub for skilled talent and driving its vision of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2032. Approved in Thursday’s cabinet meeting, the policy harnesses digital technologies and AI-driven tools for training, assessment, and career guidance via a unified digital portal. It also promotes international workforce mobility through global certifications, migration support, and specialized training programs.
Although the Department of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood (SDEL) was formed in 2017, the state lacked a formal skill policy until now. Key highlights include integrating vocational education into schools, colleges, and universities through credit-based programs, strengthening industry collaboration via apprenticeships and ITI adoption, and promoting lifelong learning, reskilling, and upskilling to match rapid technological and industrial changes.
The policy includes special interventions for women, persons with disabilities, marginalized communities, the urban poor, and informal sector workers. It also prioritizes infrastructure upgrades, modernizing ITIs, expanding GTTCs, and establishing rural and urban skilling hubs. A robust Monitoring and Evaluation framework allocates 5 percent of scheme budgets to track outcomes effectively.
CMKKY 2.0 is positioned as an umbrella scheme to unify state skilling programs such as Kalike Jothege Kaushalya, Nanna Vrutti Nanna Ayke, ILC, IMC-K, RPL, and other special projects under a life-cycle skilling approach.
Dr. Sharanprakash Patil, Minister for Medical Education, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, noted that the absence of a unified policy previously led to fragmented efforts. The new policy aligns skilling with education, employment, and industry needs while ensuring inclusivity, equity, and future readiness.
