Karnataka ready to train 1,000 engineers for Micron's upcoming plant in Gujarat: Minister Priyank Kharge

India is looking to become a semiconductor hub, but a skilled workforce to work in ATMP and fabs remains a big challenge. While the Ministry of Electronics & IT along with AICTE has introduced courses and aims to train 85,000 engineers in the coming years, the government of Karnataka is taking initiatives to help companies find the right talent. Priyank Kharge, Minister for IT, BT and RDPR, Government of Karnataka, says the state is ready to train 1,000 engineers for the US memory Chip giant Micron’s upcoming ATMP in Gujarat.

“Micron needs 1,000 engineers. We are ready to train them for Micron. All they need is to give us the curriculum, give us the syllabus, and we will train them.”

Kharge added that the world is looking at India, and in India, they're very clearly looking at the government of Karnataka. “When I was recently in the US, a company told me that the US requires close to around 1 million chip designers. They need to upskill, and we are the only people who can do that. We can deliver on that. So, we have provided a skill council, which is headed by me and the Minister of Skill Development. And we're talking to the industry directly.”

And it’s not just the training workforce for the semiconductor ecosystem. Karnataka aims to provide the most employable workforce in the world. He adds, “The idea is very clear for the government of Karnataka. We are here to provide the entire world with the most employable workforce. So, we'll do anything it takes to ensure our graduates, our people, are the most trained, most skilled people, whether it's white collar, blue collar.”

Since the change of government in Karnataka earlier this year, the state is now focusing on skillsets. “We are of the firm belief that we are no longer catering to the Indian ecosystem. We are catering to the global ecosystem. And Bangalore is a place where it happens. Kerala is a place that happens. We are also forming a lot of Centers of Excellence in emerging technology. So, we will be incubating talent, nurturing talent and innovations and inventions for emerging technologies,” adds Kharge.

Karnataka is hosting the 26th edition of Bengaluru Tech Summit 2023 between November 29 to December 1, which the minister claims is the world's biggest technology summit hosted by any government. This year, the summit will have Global Innovation Alliance partners coming in and will have a participation of more than 40 countries. The Summit is also a big showcase of the capabilities of the Indian technologies, innovations and inventions. 

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