Karnataka chief secretary calls for overhaul of engineering education to match industry demand

Karnataka’s chief secretary, Dr. U. M. Mohan, told a gathering of university officials and industry leaders that the state’s engineering education system must be “reinvented” to align with today’s industrial requirements, The Hindu reported. He highlighted a widening gap between the skills taught in classrooms and those sought by employers in sectors ranging from information technology to advanced manufacturing.

Mohan pointed out that many graduates struggle to secure relevant jobs because their training does not reflect the rapid adoption of digital tools, automation and sustainability practices in the private sector. He urged universities to introduce more hands‑on projects, industry‑driven curricula and continuous upskilling modules, suggesting that a static syllabus is no longer viable.

The chief secretary also announced that the state will convene a task force comprising senior faculty, corporate CEOs and representatives from the Karnataka State Council for Technical Education. The group’s mandate will be to audit existing programmes, recommend new courses in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy and robotics, and create pathways for internships and apprenticeships that give students real‑world exposure.

India’s engineering education landscape has long wrestled with similar challenges. The sector produces over 1.5 million graduates annually, yet placement rates have plateaued, prompting the central government’s National Education Policy 2020 to call for greater industry linkage and competency‑based learning. Karnataka, home to Bengaluru’s tech ecosystem, has been a testing ground for such reforms, with several private institutions already piloting project‑based learning and collaborations with multinational firms.

Experts say that without a coordinated effort, the mismatch could exacerbate unemployment among engineers and slow the country’s transition to a knowledge‑driven economy. By reshaping curricula now, Karnataka hopes to retain talent, attract investment and set a benchmark for other states facing comparable skill gaps.

The upcoming task force will present its first set of recommendations by the end of the fiscal year, aiming to influence policy not only within the state but also at the national level, where policymakers are watching Karnataka’s experiment closely.