Sandur to get skill varsity, three million youths to be skilled by 2032: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

He said, 'There is a need for a dedicated university for skills and we will establish one soon with the aim to make Karnataka a state for skills.'

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced the setting up of a new Skill University at Sandur in Ballari district.

Speaking after inaugurating the three-day Bengaluru Skill Summit organised by the department of Skill Development and Livelihood, Siddaramaiah stressed the need for a dedicated university for skills in the state and said, “Every year, more than 33,000 youths get trained at industrial training institutes (ITIs) and government toolroom training centres (GTTCs).”

“There is a need for a dedicated university for skills and we will establish one soon with the aim to make Karnataka a state for skills,” he added.

Assuring industry leaders that Karnataka will produce an industry-ready workforce, Siddaramaiah said, “We will equip this generation with the right skills, mindset and confidence. We have set goals to skill three million youths by 2032 and to strengthen global placement linkages.”

“We will deepen our partnerships with industries, integrate skills into every stage of education and build a culture of lifelong learning so that every Kannadiga is job-ready, entrepreneur-ready, and future-ready,” the CM said.

He added that over 60% of the state’s population was below the age of 35 and that nearly 1.2 crore young people will enter the workforce in the next decade.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity,” the CM said.

Siddaramaiah said the state government has provided jobs to over 27,000 aspirants who participated in job fairs in the last two years. 

Applauding Bengaluru’s strength, Siddaramaiah stated, “There could be no better place than Bengaluru. It has always been the city where ideas meet industry, the city that has transformed from a Garden City to the Startup Capital, and now, the Skill Capital of India.”

Siddaramaiah said that through the Chief Minister Kaushalya Karnataka Yojana (CMKKY), the government took skills to every corner of the state. “Our target was five lakh youths and we went beyond and benefited 16 lakh youths,” he mentioned. 

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar that said Bengaluru is a conducive place for knowledge, cooperation, coordination and safest place globally. 

“Thank you all for choosing Bengaluru. No skill is inferior. A carpenters skill is as important as anyone else’s. All skills deserve respect. California has 13 lakh engineers while Bengaluru has 25 lakh engineers. After 9/11 attack in the US, Bengaluru’s safe environment became known globally. Besides it has a large pool of human resource,” he added.

Medical Education and Skill Development Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil, IT BT Minister Priyank Kharge and others were present.  

Minister for Labour, Mauritius, Mohammad Raza Cassam Uteer, who attended that summit, said there was a growing demand for IT and medical professionals in Mauritius. “We hope Karnataka will supply us trained professionals,” he said.

Ensuring the safety of foreign employees and a better work environment, the minister said his country is bringing out a policy where employees are not required to pay recruitment fees. “We don’t want workers to suffer. We have an ethical work policy and all the fees will be paid by the employer. We want collaboration for transfer of skills,” he informed.