Karnataka’s skills training dropped 51% due to pandemic

Karnataka’s skill development programme took a hit during the Covid-19 pandemic as the number of candidates the government-managed to train last year was halved compared with 2019-20.

Not just that, the pandemic might have impacted placements for candidates who were trained.

According to government data, a total of 49,146 people were trained for various job roles in 2019-20. In the pandemic-hit 2020-21, the number of trained people came down to 23,845 - a 51% decrease. 

This is based on the skills training data from the Chief Minister’s Kaushalya Karnataka Yojane (CMKKY) and the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

Three-fifths of those who got trained last year are women for roles such as data entry operators, beauty therapists, field technicians, tailors, retail sales associates and so on. 

“A majority of the skills training started in December 2020 and January 2021 after the Centre came out with standard operating procedures,” Karnataka Skill Development Corporation Managing Director Ashwin Gowda told DH. 

It is not yet clear if all those who underwent training have been placed. “Our training partners are supposed to place the candidates within three months. We are monitoring and following-up with the training partners,” Gowda said.

In the current 2021-22 financial year, the government has a target of training 34,000 people under CMKKY whereas the Centre is yet to fix a number under the PMKVY. 

The government is now refurbishing its Skills Connect portal to push up hiring activity for skilled workers. 

“There were uncertainties over the past year. Only big companies could recruit through Skill Connect whereas non-formal, medium-scale companies couldn’t. We have to make an aggressive effort now to push recruitment,” Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Secretary S Selvakumar told DH. 

The Skill Connect portal - skillconnect.kaushalkar.com - is branded as a networking platform that pairs up companies with certified skilled workers. 

“We are simplifying the portal,” Gowda said. “We received feedback from the candidates that the registration process was difficult. In the new set-up, we need candidates to enter basic details and their areas of interest,” he said. 

In the wake of the pandemic, the department is conducting virtual job fairs and “they are happening every day,” Gowda said. So far, 5,743 candidates have registered in these job fairs, 2,889 have been interviewed, 1,895 shortlisted and 1,225 have job offers. 

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