The Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025, held from 4–6 November 2025, concluded on a high note with more than 6500+ combined footfalls and three days of dynamic discussions, global participation, and forward-looking interventions. Organised by the Government of Karnataka, the inaugural summit was designed to shape pathways for “Workforce 2030: Scale, Systems, Synergy”, bringing together government leaders, industry pioneers, academic institutions, development organisations, and global partners.
During the closing ceremony, the Government of Karnataka announced that the second edition of the Bengaluru Skill Summit will be held from 3–5 November 2026, reinforcing the state’s commitment to becoming the AI Skilling Lighthouse of India and expanding entrepreneurship and future-skills training to every young learner by 2030.
Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025: A platform to reimagine India’s workforce future
DAY 1: A Defining Moment for Karnataka’s Skill Movement
The inaugural ceremony set an inspiring tone for the three-day summit, marking a significant milestone in Karnataka’s journey toward large-scale, future-ready skilling. Honorable Chief Minister Shri Siddaramaiah and Honorable Deputy Chief Minister Shri D. K. Shivakumar unveiled two landmark publications that will steer the state’s long-term skill development vision:
- Skill 2025–2032: a strategic framework that outlines Karnataka’s roadmap for inclusive, large-scale skilling aligned with emerging industry needs.
- Karnataka Workforce Blueprint 2030: a forward-looking vision document aimed at aligning the state’s talent pool with global opportunities and future labour market demands.
The opening day also featured addresses from senior government leaders, global partners, and industry representatives, who collectively emphasised collaboration, digital adoption, and stronger training systems as core to Karnataka’s Workforce 2030 agenda.
With the launch of these landmark documents, Day 1 set a strong foundation for the focused discussions and forward-looking conversations that continued over the next two days.
BSS 2025 DAY 2: Dialogues on innovation, inclusion, and growth
Day 2 opened with a keynote by Shri Ravi Venkatesan, Chairman, Global Energy Alliance and Former Chairman, Microsoft India and Bank of Baroda. Speaking on “Shaping Karnataka’s Next Era Through Innovation,” he emphasised that artificial intelligence is “one of the most transformative forces of our time,” and highlighted the need to strengthen foundations in digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and human skills.
“As the world enters the age of AI, Karnataka must once again lead India’s growth story through innovation, inclusion, and intelligent adaptation,” he said.
He also underscored the importance of deep collaborations with industry leaders such as Google, Microsoft, and Infosys to ensure equitable access to emerging opportunities.
A spotlight on skills, innovation and AI: Fireside Chat
Another important highlight of Day 2 was a special fireside chat hosted by Dr. Madhuri Dubey, Founder and Director, National Skills Network – NSN. The session brought together experts to discuss how the evolving skills ecosystem is being reshaped by artificial intelligence, automation, and disruptive technologies.
Dr. Madhuri Dubey steered the conversation with Dr. Abhilasha Gaur, Chief Executive Officer, NASSCOM IT-ITeS SSC and Dr. P. B. Kotur, Global Head, Global Engg. Academy, L&T Technology Services, focusing on how India can integrate work-based and industry-driven education at scale, encourage innovation-led skilling models, and prepare youth for high-growth job roles.
The dialogue emphasised the need to strengthen apprenticeship-embedded pathways, elevate the role of trainers, adopt digital-first pedagogies, and ensure that skill policies are translated into actionable institutional playbooks. This session added depth to the summit’s broader narrative of aligning skills with innovation and employability.
Convergence for a trillion-dollar economy for Karnataka
A major attraction of Day 2 was the Ministers’ Panel on “Convergence of Education, Skills and Industry for a Trillion USD Economy by 2032.”
Dr. Sharanaprakash Rudrappa Patil, Minister for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood and Medical Education, reiterated that unemployment remains India’s biggest challenge and emphasised the need to restructure curricula to embed skills within classrooms. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to funding training for all eligible youth.
Shri Priyank Kharge, Minister for Rural Development & Panchayat Raj and Electronics, IT & BT, highlighted Karnataka’s ₹5,000-crore investment under the new skill policy and the ambition to make over 3 million youth employable. “The future workforce of Karnataka will not just be job seekers; they will be job creators and changemakers,” he said.
Dr. M. C. Sudhakar, Minister for Higher Education, stressed the importance of equitable access to skilling across tier-2 and tier-3 regions, supported by partnerships with leading corporations and foundations.
Skill expo and innovation challenge
The Skill Expo was inaugurated by senior ministers alongside Honorable. Muhammad Reza Cassam Uteem, Minister of Labour and Industrial Relations, Government of Mauritius. Featuring 50+ exhibitors, the expo showcased innovations, best practices, and scalable models, facilitating B2B, B2G, and G2G collaborations.
The day also hosted the finals of Skillathon, the youth innovation challenge. The winners were:
- Team Saksham – Jain University, Bengalur
- Team Eco Coders – Vidya Vardhaka College of Engineering, Mysuru
- Team Skill Vault 360 – BMSIT, Bengaluru
The day ended with a captivating dance drama celebrating Karnataka’s rich cultural heritage.
BSS 2025 DAY 3: Global mobility, CSR leadership and system strengthening
Day 3 began with a welcome address by Shri Nagaraja N. M., IAS, Managing Director, Karnataka Skill Development Corporation, who emphasised preparing youth for jobs that may not yet exist.
Mauritius and Germany strengthen global mobility
His Excellency Honorable. Muhammad Reza Cassam Uteem, Minister of Labour and Industrial Relations, Mauritius, delivered the opening keynote, expressing confidence in Karnataka as a future global talent hub.
A session by the German Missions in India examined pathways for Indian students and skilled professionals, noting that over 60,000 Indian students are currently pursuing education in Germany, supported by strong university–industry linkages and progressive immigration policies.
CSR roundtable: Public–private partnerships for skill development
A CSR Roundtable chaired by Dr. E. V. Ramana Reddy, IAS (R), Chairman, Karnataka Skill Development Authority (KSDA), discussed the urgent need to uplift India’s formal skilling numbers, which remain below 5%. He emphasised Karnataka’s investments in ITI modernisation and future-ready training centres.
Click here to know Dr. E. V. Ramana Reddy’s views on Karnataka’s Skill Vision for 2030.
The day’s most stirring address came from Shri Subroto Bagchi, Co-Founder, Mindtree and Former Chairman, Odisha Skill Development Authority.
“We have to make skill aspirational, not an alternative. When we invest in people, we invest in the soul of India,” he said, underlining the moral and societal value of skilling.
Karnataka’s vision for a skilled tomorrow
The summit concluded with the Kaushalya Karnataka Awards under Corporate and Institutional Excellence categories, presented by Dr. Sharanaprakash Rudrappa Patil, Smt. Shivakantamma (Kanta) Naik, and Smt. Vandita Sharma.
Announcing the next edition, Dr. Sharanaprakash Rudrappa Patil confirmed that the Bengaluru Skill Summit 2026 will be held from 3–5 November 2026. The event was managed by Trescon.
Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025 brought together forward-looking ideas and collaborations that align with Karnataka’s Vision 2030 for a skilled and innovation-driven workforce. The insights shared over the three days set a clear direction for strengthening skilling pathways, deepening industry partnerships, and preparing youth for the opportunities of a rapidly evolving world. With this momentum, Karnataka is poised to lead the next phase of India’s workforce transformation.
