Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025 puts youth at centre of "Workforce 2030"

If you're a student or young professional thinking about your future career, here's one event you shouldn't miss: the Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025, scheduled from November 4–6 at Hotel Lalit Ashok.

Organised by Karnataka Skill Development Corporation (KSDC) under the Karnataka Skill Development Authority (KSDA), with knowledge support from KDEM and execution by Trescon Global, the summit is all about preparing today's youth for the jobs of tomorrow. With the theme "Workforce 2030: Scale, Systems, Synergy," it brings together industry leaders, policymakers, educators, and innovators to focus on what skills will matter most in the next decade.

Announcing the summit at Vidhan Soudha, Dr. Sharanprakash Patil, Minister for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood (SDEL), said the platform is aimed at "building a future-ready workforce while ensuring equitable access to skilling opportunities."

What's in it for participants?

Skillathon 2025: A hands-on competition where student teams will solve real-world challenges in skilling, employment, and vocational education. Finalists will go through design thinking stages—Empathise, Define, Ideate, Consolidate, Pitch—before presenting to an expert jury. Prizes up to ₹50,000 are up for grabs, but more importantly, it's a chance to showcase ideas to top industry and government leaders.

Youth Engagement Zone: Expect career guidance, live demos, and mentoring sessions tailored for students and fresh graduates.

Networking Opportunities: Meet global experts, potential employers, and mentors under one roof—something that rarely happens outside such summits.

Exposure to Emerging Skills: From green jobs and AI to Industry 4.0, the summit will highlight where the job market is heading, and how students can stay ahead.

Dr. Patil says the summit isn't just about employability. "We are teaching not just job skills but also how to start a business so that more young people can think like entrepreneurs," he explained. That means sessions on entrepreneurship, innovation, and global mobility will be as central as training for traditional jobs.

The programme is structured around four thematic tracks:

Emerging Skills: Green jobs, AI, digital economy, Industry 4.0.

Skills for All: Inclusion for women, rural youth, persons with disabilities, gig and informal workers.

Innovation: Scalable training models, pedagogy, and global best practices.

Global Skills: Mobility, certifications, and partnerships to place Karnataka's youth in global markets.

With unemployment still high among graduates despite demand for skilled workers, the summit is designed to bridge that gap. Whether you're looking for your first job, planning to upskill, or thinking of launching a startup, the Bengaluru Skill Summit is shaping up to be a one-stop platform for future opportunities.