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Credit: Stellantis website
Skilled professionals from the state of Karnataka appear to be in high demand in countries across the globe, including many in Europe. The latest nation to put in a plea for skilled manpower from the state is Slovakia, in eastern Europe.
On Wednesday, the Karnataka delegation headed by Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil and Dr M C Sudhakar halted in Slovakia, after pitstops in other European countries as part of the state government’s efforts to drive participation in the International Job Fair slated to be held in February 2026. Automobile manufacturer Stellantis, which makes the Citroën C3, A3 Aircross and Opel Frontera, among other cars, placed a formal request with the Karnataka government seeking professionals equipped with advanced skills in the automobile and electrical sectors.
Incidentally, Stellantis currently employs around 100 assembly-line operators from Karnataka at its Tranava plant near Bratislava, the country’s capital. Representatives from the company presented their request to the ministers and the rest of the delegation. Meanwhile, the two ministers toured the plant, and also took stock of the measures taken by the company to ensure the welfare of Karnataka workers.
“Stellantis currently employs more than 50 heavy vehicle drivers and 100 assembly-line operators trained and upskilled by the Karnataka Vocational Training and Skill Development Corporation. The International Immigration Centre of Karnataka facilitated the workers’ placement in the company,” said an official who is part of the Karnataka delegation.
Dr Patil informed Stellantis representatives about the various initiatives – language labs, upskilling projects – taken by the Karnataka government to prepare professionals for overseas employment. The minister urged India’s Ambassador to Slovakia Apoorva Srivastava to expedite the visa processing procedure, about which Stellantis recruitment head Katrinaa Felcova raised concerns.
Pointing to Karnataka’s huge pool of engineers – more than one lakh students graduate with engineering graduates annually in the state – the two ministers urged the company to consider hiring them, besides inviting Stellantis to establish a manufacturing unit in the state. Stellantis was assured of not just land, but also infrastructure to set up such a unit in the state.
At a meeting with representatives of logistics giant DHL in Nitra, not far from Bratislava, the ministers were informed about the growing
demand in Europe for advanced and heavy forklift operators.
DHL’s country HR Lead Milos Gocik expressed his company’s keenness to hire such operators in large numbers from Karnataka. He also pointed to abundant opportunities in 50 specialised IT fields in Slovakia alone.