As Karnataka accelerates toward becoming one of the world’s leading digital economies, talent development is emerging as a central pillar of the state’s long-term growth strategy. With ambitious targets across IT, startups, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), AI, and deeptech, the focus is no longer limited to infrastructure or investment – it is increasingly about building a future-ready workforce capable of driving the next phase of innovation. At the heart of this transformation is a strong push toward industry-aligned skilling, structured campus-to-career pathways, and deeper collaboration between academia and enterprises.
In an exclusive interaction, Dr Manjula N, IAS, Secretary to the Department of Electronics, IT & BT and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, outlines how the state is shaping a scalable and inclusive digital talent ecosystem aligned with the demands of the future, with Elets News Network (ENN). Edited Excerpts:
Karnataka’s IT Policy 2025–30 targets 90 lakh jobs and aims to grow software exports from ₹4.09 lakh crore to ₹11.5 lakh crore by 2030, with the sector’s contribution to the state’s Gross State Value Added rising from 26% to 36%. What specific steps are being taken to ensure Karnataka’s own graduates are first in line to fill the jobs this growth will generate?
Karnataka’s IT Policy 2025–30 has been designed not just as a growth framework for the technology sector, but as a comprehensive talent and workforce strategy to ensure that Karnataka’s own youth are at the forefront of the opportunities being created. The state today already possesses India’s strongest digital talent ecosystem, with over 1.2 million direct technology jobs, nearly 0.3 million indirect jobs, and the country’s largest technology talent base. Karnataka is also home to almost 50% of India’s AI talent and has nearly twice the enterprise-ready talent pool compared to the next largest location in the country, which provides a strong foundation for future growth.
However, to achieve the ambitious policy targets the Government recognises that talent development must scale significantly and inclusively. Accordingly, the policy places strong emphasis on industry-linked skilling, internships, faculty development, and employability enhancement. Under the IT Policy 2025-2030- To encourage companies to hire and train local graduates, the Government will reimburse 50% of internship stipends for up to three months, capped at ₹5,000 per month per intern. In addition, companies investing in workforce skilling will receive reimbursement of 20% of skilling costs, up to ₹36,000 per graduate and ₹18,000 per diploma holder. Recognising the importance of strengthening academic institutions themselves, the policy also provides 50% reimbursement for Faculty Development Programmes, up to ₹10 lakh per cohort, ensuring that Karnataka’s colleges and universities remain aligned with rapidly evolving industry requirements in AI, cybersecurity, cloud, semiconductors, and deep-tech domains. Combined with initiatives such as Nipuna Karnataka, Centres of Excellence, and stronger industry-academia partnerships, the state’s approach is to create a continuous pipeline of globally competitive, enterprise-ready talent from within Karnataka itself.
The GCC Policy 2024–29 targets 500 new Global Capability Centres and 3.5 lakh jobs, backed by a ₹1 billion AI Skilling and Innovation Fund and reimbursements for up to 20,000 internships at ₹5,000 per month. How is the Department ensuring that these internship pipelines connect directly with Karnataka’s colleges and universities rather than remaining confined to existing talent networks?
The Government of Karnataka has consistently emphasised building a strong talent ecosystem by fostering deeper, structured linkages between academia and industry. The focus has been on creating scalable pathways that enable students across the State to gain meaningful industry exposure and transition seamlessly into high-quality employment opportunities.
Within this framework, the GCC Policy 2024–29 places significant emphasis on skilling initiatives that are designed to strengthen industry–academia collaboration. The policy incentivises GCCs to invest in training fresh recruits, many of whom are sourced directly from local institutions, while also supporting the development of industry-aligned curricula within universities in partnership with GCCs. These measures ensure that skilling efforts are not siloed, but instead closely integrated with academic institutions, enabling internship and employment pipelines to flow directly into the higher education system.
In line with this approach, the Government has also been rolling out targeted initiatives such as the ‘Super 100 Industry–Academia Programme’, which plays a pivotal role in operationalising these linkages. By partnering with 100 leading companies and 100 institutions, particularly in districts beyond Bengaluru, the initiative creates a structured platform for curriculum alignment, mentorship, and, importantly, direct internship pathways for students through institutional partnerships.
Together, these efforts reflect the Government’s proactive approach to ensuring that Karnataka’s workforce is equipped with relevant, industry-ready skills. By aligning policy incentives with on-ground programmes, the State is strengthening a robust, inclusive pipeline that connects academia to industry and supports the sustained growth of the GCC ecosystem.
The Karnataka Startup Policy 2025–30, backed by a ₹518 crore cabinet allocation, targets 25,000 new startups with 10,000 expected from beyond Bengaluru. How is this startup ecosystem being positioned as a direct career destination for graduates?
The Karnataka Startup Policy 2025–30 is not merely an entrepreneurship policy; it is also a future jobs and talent policy. Our vision is to position startups as a mainstream and aspirational career destination for graduates across Karnataka – not only in Bengaluru, but across emerging innovation clusters throughout the state. As the global economy becomes increasingly driven by innovation-led enterprises and deep-tech companies, Karnataka is uniquely positioned to prepare young talent for this shift. The policy focuses on decentralisation, deep technology, talent development, and inclusive innovation, while viewing graduates not just as job seekers, but as innovators and problem-solvers. To enable this, the Government is strengthening the startup ecosystem through integration with academia, skilling initiatives, incubation support, mentorship, funding, research, and market access programs. Initiatives such as ELEVATE, Local Economy Accelerator Program (LEAP), New Age Innovation Network, Rajiv Gandhi Entrepreneurship Program are helping students and early-stage founders access grants, mentorship, and industry networks.
A major priority under the policy is expanding opportunities beyond Bengaluru. Through regional startup clusters, incubation centres, Centres of Excellence, accelerator programs, and dedicated ‘Beyond Bengaluru’ initiatives, the policy aims to ensure that graduates from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities can access startup opportunities closer to home while driving innovation in sectors such as agritech, healthtech, mobility, clean energy, and manufacturing. The policy also recognises startups as engines of high-quality employment. They provide graduates with faster learning, cross-functional exposure, leadership opportunities, and the ability to work on globally relevant technologies from the outset. At the same time, the policy actively supports women-led startups, social innovation enterprises, and entrepreneurs from emerging regions to build a more inclusive innovation ecosystem. Ultimately, our goal is to create a mindset shift – where startups are seen not as uncertain alternatives, but as credible, high-impact, and future-oriented career opportunities for Karnataka’s youth.
What steps are being taken to ensure that what Karnataka’s students learn today remains relevant to what industry demands tomorrow?
In a rapidly evolving technology landscape, ensuring relevance requires us to move from static education models to a system of continuous, industry-aligned learning.
A key pillar of this approach is NIPUNA Karnataka, which is designed as a collaborative platform bringing together government, industry, and academia to drive large-scale, future-focused skilling. NIPUNA addresses both ends of the spectrum – students entering the workforce and professionals already within it – ensuring that learning keeps pace with technological change.
For students, NIPUNA provides access to structured training in emerging technologies, as well as internships, industry simulations, and mentorship opportunities that offer practical exposure beyond the classroom. This helps bridge the gap between academic learning and industry expectations in a meaningful way.
Equally important is the role of industry. Through NIPUNA, corporates are encouraged to actively participate in skilling initiatives, particularly in areas such as AI, advanced computing, and digital systems, with the government supporting these efforts through cost-sharing mechanisms of up to 40%. This ensures that training remains relevant, demand-driven, and scalable.
In parallel, we are strengthening curriculum co-development with industry bodies like NASSCOM and KDEM, expanding Centres of Excellence, and embedding experiential learning models such as internships and apprenticeships.
The overall objective is to create an ecosystem where learning is not a one-time activity but a continuous, adaptive process – enabling Karnataka’s talent to remain competitive, relevant, and future-ready.
Also Read: Skilling Meets Education: Karnataka’s Integrated Pathway to a Future-Ready Workforce
The Campus to Career Summit brings together government, academia, and industry on a single platform. What does the Department see as the most critical action that must emerge from this summit to accelerate Karnataka’s campus-to-career agenda?
The Campus to Career Summit is a pivotal platform because it brings together all the key stakeholders needed to solve this challenge collectively and at scale. The most critical outcome we are looking for is a shift from intent to structured, time-bound execution. We want this Summit to result in formalised, outcome-driven partnerships between government, academia, and industry – where roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. This includes commitments around: Curriculum alignment with emerging industry requirements, guaranteed and scalable internship pipelines, and stronger direct hiring linkages between companies and campuses. Equally important is the need to build systemic mechanisms, not one-off initiatives. Platforms like Karnataka Skill Connect must evolve into a unified interface that integrates skilling, internships, and employment opportunities across the state. We also see the Summit as an opportunity to drive regional inclusion – ensuring that institutions beyond Bengaluru are equally connected to industry networks and opportunities. Finally, success will be measured not by discussions, but by outcomes on the ground – higher employability, better internship access, and improved placement rates across institutions. In that sense, this Summit is not just a convening – it is a starting point for building a cohesive, statewide campus-to-career ecosystem that delivers at scale and with accountability.
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