MD of Karnataka Skill Development Corporation speaks to students on the criticality of skill development

Mysore/Mysuru: Upskilling is crucial to increase employability and to stay ahead of the competition. “Students must develop soft skills as it is the need of the hour and adapt themselves to the changing demands of the job market,” said Ashwin D. Gowda, MD, Karnataka Skill Development Corporation (KSDC).

He was speaking after inaugurating a two-day seminar on Skill India: Challenges and Opportunities, organised by the B.N. Bahadur Institute of Management Sciences at Rani Bhadur auditorium, in city yesterday.

He felt that students should strive for excellence, which is considered a fundamental duty. Students should not only demand their rights but also be aware of their duties and limitations in the job market. “You must strive to accord importance to upskilling to improve competitiveness and employability factor. Communication and time management should become the core factor of their learning,” he 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,” he added. He said there was no shortage of jobs and it was evident in the numerous job fairs conducted by KSDC. But many companies are facing an acute shortage of skilled manpower.

National vision for employment

The KSDC’s objective is to aid youths 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, he said.

“Many companies are rethinking their working models, cultures and values. A big part of this evaluation is a renewed focus on upskilling and reskilling as they work to retain talent, as well as a shift to skills-based recruiting. Organisations have made a material shift in the way they hire. Rather than primarily focusing on diplomas and past experiences, they are becoming laser-focused on skills,”  Ashwin Gowda noted.

Huge job potential

The KSDC has identified nearly 30 sectors covering a wide range of fields where there is a huge job potential. “We are training about 3 lakh students every year and offering various skill development courses besides signing memorandums of understanding with various countries to provide skilled manpower for specific areas stipulated by them,” he revealed.

“Over 47 percent of the students graduating from thousands of educational institutions every year are not employable as they lack skill sets. The National Education Policy emphasises upskilling with a multi-disciplinary approach. I feel that skills-building programmes must be integrated with talent acquisition so people can own their learning journeys,” he added.

Chairman of B.N. Bahadur Institute of Management Sciences Prof. D. Anand presided over the event. Registrar of University of Mysore V.R. Shailaja, Vice-Chairman of CII Mysuru Zone Sam Cherian Kumbukattu, Seminar Convenor Dr. M. Amulya, Organising Committee Members Prof.  Aisha M. Sheriff, Prof. S.J. Manjunath and Prof. R. Mahesh were present.