Bengaluru Skill Summit will focus on workforce transformation, says Minister

Karnataka will focus on preparing its youth for the rapid changes in the world of work, particularly those triggered by Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, Medical Education and Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Minister Dr. Sharanprakash Patil said on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference at the Vikasa Soudha, Bengaluru, Dr. Patil said the State’s skilling efforts would have to keep pace with changing industry requirements and ensure that young people acquire skills relevant to future employment. The second edition of the Bengaluru Skill Summit, scheduled from November 3 to 5 at The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru, will provide a platform to strengthen this effort.

“AI and new technologies are changing the skills landscape rapidly. Preparing our youth for these changes and building a future-ready workforce is an important responsibility of the government,” the Minister said. 

The summit, organised by the Department of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood (SDEL), will be held under the theme “Workforce 2030: Scale, Systems, Synergy.” The summit would focus on moving beyond discussions to building scalable systems that connect education, skills and employment. The inaugural edition of the summit in 2025 attracted over 6,500 visitors over three days.

The summit will be inaugurated on November 3 by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara. Key speakers will include Mindtree founder Subroto Bagchi, entrepreneur and philanthropist Gururaj Deshpande, and NITI Aayog member R. Balasubramaniam.

Speaking on the occasion, E.V. Ramana Reddy,  Chairman, Karnataka Skill Development Authority (KSDA), stressed the need to strengthen India’s skilling ecosystem and improve the transition from training to employment. He has also highlighted the wide gap between India and countries such as South Korea and Japan in the proportion of formally skilled workers, underlining the need for stronger industry participation and public-private partnerships in skilling.

The 2026 summit is expected to bring together more than 150 speakers, 50 exhibitors, 100 partners and national and international delegations. Its four thematic tracks are: Emerging Skills, Skills for All, Innovation and Global Skills, covering areas such as AI, Industry 4.0, green jobs, the digital economy, inclusion of women and youth, informal and gig workers, innovation in training and international mobility.

The summit will also feature an Innovation Stage, Expo Arena, parallel roundtables and the Kaushalya Karnataka Awards. A Development Dialogue will examine ways of moving rural youth from skilling to sustainable employment, while Skillathon 2026 will challenge participants to use public data to identify labour-market trends and help shape future skilling policy.

The summit is being hosted by the Karnataka Skill Development Corporation, in collaboration with KSDA, with Karnataka Digital Economy Mission as knowledge partner. It is positioned as an annual platform of the state government to strengthen Karnataka’s workforce systems and align skilling with the needs of industry and the global employment market.