Karnataka forms ‘Skill Advisory Committee on Emerging Technologies’

PTI, Aug 9, 2023, 7:33 PM IST

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has formed ”Skill Advisory Committee on Emerging Technologies” partnering with industry leaders, academic professionals and training institutions to make the state ”Future Ready” in emerging technologies, Minister for Information Technology and Bio Technology (IT & BT) Priyank Kharge said on Wednesday.

Being one among the largest IT hubs in the world, known especially for its esteemed quality of human resource, Karnataka is now preparing itself for the future as well to continue to be the industry leader in the ”new wave of emerging technologies,” the minister said.

As the state produces one of the highest numbers of graduates in the country, a special effort is being put in to ensure that our talent pool is also adequately skilled in the field of emerging technology, he said.

The 29-member committee will have the Minister for IT & BT as Chairperson and the Minister for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Department as Co-Chair. It will have officials, representatives of various industries and institutions, and academic professionals as members.

Through this exercise, the Department of IT&BT hopes to engage with all the stakeholders in order to bridge the growing skill gaps between industry requirements and Karnataka’s tech talent pool in Cloud Computing, Quantum Computing, AI & Big Data Analytics, Web & Mobile Development Technologies, Blockchain, AR/VR (Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality), IoT, 5G, Robotic Process Automation, Cyber Security, 3D Printing, etc.

Also, provide a collaborative framework for government, industry and academia to design, plan and implement market-oriented skill development programmes to ready the state’s workforce for industry dynamics in emerging tech like Generative AI, Metaverse, Flexible Batteries, Sustainable Computing, Flexible Neural Electronics, Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Wearable Sensors, etc.

According to Kharge, the key responsibilities of the committee involves identification of skilling requirements and industry collaboration in emerging tech while contributing to policy advocacy and action-oriented recommendations to the Government of Karnataka.

The committee is mandated to be in effect for next 3 years. It is authorised to ensure that it meets at least once every quarter. It will prepare proceedings of its meeting to summarise the quarterly discussions, recommendations and findings and also submit its first report within three months.

The panel would also prepare reports on actionable strategy encapsulating the industry trends, job market dynamics, skill gaps and other areas for stakeholders in emerging tech and publish it for public consumption.