Karnataka Skill Connect Portal aims to create 10 million job opportunities

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Skill Development Corporation (KSDC), in association with the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), on Thursday launched the Karnataka Skill Connect Portal (KSCP), an integrated web platform connecting the entire talent ecosystem in the state with various employment prospects and skilling opportunities.

The portal's inauguration marks the Government of Karnataka's celebration of 'Good Governance Month' in December in observance of the birthday of the former Prime Minister of India, Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, and Minister for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Dr Ashwath Narayan presided over the event in the presence of industry leaders and partners at the Vidhana Soudha.

KSCP will act as a comprehensive marketplace for students, industries, academic institutions, and trainers to get together and collaborate in several ways. For instance, candidates can evaluate themselves on the portal, identify possible skill gaps, and take up relevant upskilling programmes. Meanwhile, employers (MSMEs, MNCs, start-ups) can find and train suitable candidates. Also, campus placement opportunities and access to trending courses will be provided, besides connecting job aspirants with mentors and career coaches.

CM Basavaraj Bommai said, "Karnataka has grown to become one of the world's biggest start-up and technological powerhouses. Efforts such as the Karnataka Skill Connect Portal are critical to sustaining our global stature and our hopes of attracting large companies and specialised clusters. The portal will engage with the entire industry-academia ecosystem and contribute to better investments, knowledge sharing, and economic possibilities within the state, building on our existing foundations. This latest project reflects the government's commitment towards learning and development. The portal will break barriers of distance and democratize access to opportunities through a digital medium. We recognise its importance in achieving progress and will continuously focus on empowering the state's youth with the tools required to thrive in the modern world."

The portal was created in consultation with industry stakeholders to first-hand address their concerns. Insights from established companies and up-and-coming start-ups provided the framework for the platform. These entities will contribute to KSCP's supply and demand and ultimately benefit from the portal. LinkedIn, Cisco, and IBM were among the companies present at the launch.

An MoU between the Department of Collegiate and Technical Education (DCTE), and job aggregators/placement providers Innovsource Private Limited (First Meridian), AISECT, FUEL, Infiquity Auto Technologies Private Limited, and Pratian Learning and Consulting Pvt Ltd was also signed at the event. The association envisions supporting students of government institutions with internships and placement opportunities.

The Karnataka Digital Economy Mission provided KSDC advisory and program management services to develop the portal. The organisation will further support the platform's engagement by facilitating industry collaborations. Additionally, KDEM enabled the partnership between DCTE and the job aggregators, fulfilling its role as a bridge between the Government of Karnataka and the industry ecosystem.

Minister Ashwath Narayan said, "The portal's scope is unprecedented and will be a massive factor in the state's digital economy push. KSCP will stimulate jobs and drive new investments across Karnataka's entire industry spectrum while helping various stakeholders assess their strengths, capabilities, and problem areas in an open, enabling environment that values learning and development. This, in turn, will propel technological progress and consolidate our valuable start-up culture and fame as an innovation hotspot. The portal will support around 65 thousand engineering students in obtaining internship opportunities."

Speaking on the portal's significance, Principal Secretary to the Government, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Department, Dr S Selvakumar said, "Karnataka has always been blessed with exceptional talent. We can now provide them with more straightforward access to opportunities and streamline conversations between them and the industry, helping bridge the demand gap and providing individuals with tools that will shape not just their lives but society and the nation as well."

The Managing Director of Karnataka Skill Development Corporation, Ashwin D Gowda remarked on the project's outcomes, "We remain committed to KSDC's objectives of aiding Karnataka's youth in line with the national vision for employment. We envision 10 million opportunities across jobs, internships, and paid openings in the coming years. We also hope to see around one lakh candidates undergoing skill assessments while reaching out to 20 million job seekers in the state. The long-term goal is to gradually incorporate all educational institutions in the state to use the portal for job and placement support."

Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, Chairman, BV Naidu said, "The portal will greatly benefit graduates and job seekers in their career paths by providing clarity and a sense of direction that aspirants might not readily have. There are multiple features for various requirements—besides finding relevant upskilling modules and jobs, candidates can use the intuitive platform to upload their profiles and automatically match with prospective employers, get screened by industry-standard psychometric assessments, and join online discussion forums with other candidates, among other options. The portal is an attempt to improve access of job aspirants all over Karnataka to available jobs and upskilling opportunities. "

The CEO of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, Sanjeev Gupta, added, "We have partnered with KSDC to build a unique tool that will support Karnataka's education goals. By encompassing the entire industry from aspirants to universities to hirers to training providers the portal will offer solutions for the complete talent ecosystem. While hopeful candidates and companies can use various features to connect, academic institutions can also avail services like campus placement management and learner management system to satisfy their requirements. We're also looking at enhancing the AI/ML capabilities at our disposal to do more in supporting our partners in their journeys in the future."