Karnataka government upgrades its Skill Connect Portal

The Karnataka Skill Development Corporation (KSDC), in association with the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), 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. Honourable Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri Basavaraj Bommai, and Dr C. N. Ashwath Narayan, Minister for Higher Education; Electronics, IT & BT, Science & Technology; Skill Development, Entrepreneurship & Livelihood, Government of Karnataka, presided over the event in the presence of industry leaders and partners at the Vidhana Soudha.

The revamped portal has innovative features such as video resume, psychometric and technical assessment, career guidance through one-on-one mentoring sessions and webinars, aspiration engine to provide a skill gap analysis. Industry-relevant courses through e-Kaushalya, our learning management system, and partnerships with Infosys Springboard, Microsoft, IBM, Hitachi and many more. Apprenticeship for ITI candidates, and internships for students are also available.

Commenting on the accomplishment, Dr. C N Ashwath Narayan, Minister for IT & BT, Science & Technology, Higher Education, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship & Livelihood, Government of Karnataka 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.”

Dr S.Selvakumar IAS, Principal Secretary to the Government, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Department, spoke of the portal’s significance: “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 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 the portal’s supply and demand and ultimately benefit from the portal. LinkedIn, Cisco, and IBM were among the companies present at the launch.

Speaking about public-private partnerships, Saba Karim, India Head, Academics and Govt Vertical at LinkedIn said, “It is heartening to see KSDC and KDEM launch the skill connect portal. A fast-paced economy such as our needs a skilled digital workforce. Upskilling will help create efficient labour markets in the long run. We look forward to contributing to the government’s ambitious plans.”

In Karnataka this year, a slew of activities and initiatives have been planned throughout the month of December to mark ‘Good Governance Month’ and extend the opportunity for effective government-public participation, creating awareness around skill development, entrepreneurship, and livelihood opportunities for the youth of Karnataka. The Skill Connect portal is the first of such initiatives.