Karnataka is undertaking a decisive transformation of its higher education ecosystem by aligning academic learning with employability, industry readiness, and innovation-led growth. From embedding apprenticeships within degree programmes to securing a ₹2,500 crore partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for institutional transformation, the state is moving from policy intent to measurable implementation.
Guided by the Karnataka State Education Policy 2025, the government is repositioning higher education as a driver of economic mobility, research, entrepreneurship, and workforce preparedness.
In this exclusive interaction with Elets News Network (ENN), Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, Hon’ble Minister for Higher Education, Government of Karnataka, outlines the state’s vision for building an employability-driven higher education system and shares the commitments Karnataka is bringing to the Campus to Career Summit. Edited excerpts:
Karnataka launched the Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programme (AEDP), integrating real industry experience into degree education. What was the thinking behind AEDP, and what does this model mean for the future of higher education in Karnataka?
A degree should not remain merely a certificate; it must translate into capability, confidence, and career readiness. Across the world, higher education systems are confronting the widening disconnect between classroom learning and industry expectations. Karnataka recognised this challenge early and chose to address it structurally rather than incrementally.
We observed that many students completed three-year degree programmes with minimal exposure to real workplaces, only to spend additional years acquiring practical skills after graduation. That indicated a systemic issue in curriculum design itself.
The Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programme represents a fundamental redesign of the learning model. Apprenticeship is not treated as an optional component or supplementary internship; it is integrated into the academic structure of the degree programme. Students earn academic credits while simultaneously gaining hands-on industry experience. They graduate not only with a degree, but also with workplace exposure and professional competencies that significantly improve their employability.
The programme was introduced during the academic year 2024–25 across 43 Government Degree Colleges under the Department of Collegiate Education, in alignment with UGC guidelines on AEDP. Each participating institution accommodates 40 to 60 students per cohort. Importantly, students also receive a monthly stipend ranging from ₹8,000 to ₹14,000, ensuring that financial limitations do not become barriers to industry participation.
The broader significance of AEDP lies in what it signals for the future of higher education. Karnataka is demonstrating that degree programmes can and must be designed around measurable outcomes rather than only content delivery. As the programme scales, it can become a model for curriculum transformation across the state. The degree of the future will increasingly be defined by competencies demonstrated, not merely subjects studied.
Industry leaders often say graduates are not job-ready on day one. What is Karnataka doing to address this challenge?
The concerns raised by industry are valid and must be acknowledged honestly. A student who has spent years in a purely examination-oriented system, without meaningful exposure to workplace environments, cannot be expected to transition seamlessly into professional roles. This is not a reflection on students; it is a reflection of how the system evolved over time.
Karnataka is addressing this challenge through a multi-layered approach. AEDP directly integrates students into workplaces while they are still pursuing their degrees. Simultaneously, the Karnataka Skill Development Policy 2025–32, approved by the Cabinet, commits ₹4,432 crore over seven years towards embedding vocational and skills-based learning into higher education through credit-bearing pathways. This is not a symbolic announcement; it is a long-term financial commitment to structural reform.
The government is also establishing AI Data Labs in 50 Government Engineering Colleges. Industries today are increasingly driven by data, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies. If higher education institutions fail to prepare students for these realities, they risk preparing them for industries that no longer exist in the same form.
The Karnataka State Education Policy 2025 further strengthens this shift by moving the focus from syllabus completion to learning outcomes. The central question is no longer simply what was taught, but what the student is capable of doing at the end of the programme.
Bridging the employability gap will require sustained effort and institutional collaboration. However, Karnataka has already moved decisively from recognising the problem to implementing solutions.
The ₹2,500 crore ADB-supported Karnataka Higher Education Transformation Project aims to upgrade 40 Government First Grade Colleges and 11 Polytechnics into model institutions. What will this investment mean for students in district colleges?
That is the most important dimension of this investment. If institutional transformation remains concentrated in Bengaluru alone, the broader challenge remains unresolved. The objective is to ensure that students in districts such as Vijayapura, Raichur, Kalaburagi, or Koppal have access to opportunities and learning environments comparable to those available in urban centres.
Under the Karnataka Higher Education Transformation Project, 40 Government First Grade Colleges and 11 Polytechnics across district and tier-2 regions are being upgraded into model institutions. The investment includes smart classrooms, digital libraries, advanced laboratories, and high-speed digital connectivity. Geography should not determine the quality of education a student receives.
The project also includes the establishment of nine Centres of Excellence focused on entrepreneurship and startup culture. For students in district institutions, this creates new pathways beyond traditional employment and enables them to see innovation and enterprise creation as viable aspirations.
Another major intervention is the approval of 2,000 teaching positions across Government First Grade Colleges, engineering colleges, and polytechnics. Quality higher education cannot be delivered through vacant classrooms and faculty shortages. Addressing this issue is central to institutional strengthening.
Additionally, new residential Government First Grade Colleges are being established in Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, and Koppal. Residential infrastructure is critical because, in many districts, the barrier to higher education is not only affordability but also physical access. The government is consciously addressing these structural inequities.
What is Karnataka’s broader vision for higher education over the next five years?
The next phase is less about announcements and more about implementation with measurable outcomes. Karnataka already has one of the country’s largest public higher education ecosystems, comprising 440 Government First Grade Colleges and multiple universities. The objective now is to make this system globally competitive in terms of quality, employability, research, and innovation.
The Karnataka State Education Policy 2025 provides the strategic framework for this transition. It reorients higher education towards outcomes-based learning, reduces overdependence on rigid syllabus-driven assessment, and integrates vocational and skills-based education into mainstream academic pathways rather than treating it as a parallel stream.
The government is also proposing to increase education expenditure to 4 percent of GSDP, with a dedicated emphasis on higher education. This reflects the seriousness with which Karnataka views education as a long-term developmental investment.
Karnataka possesses immense intellectual capital and the potential to emerge not merely as a talent-exporting state, but as a research-producing and innovation-driven knowledge economy. Public universities must play a far greater role in research, incubation, and technology development, and the state is committed to enabling that transition.
Simultaneously, infrastructure gaps are being addressed through the ADB-supported transformation project, faculty capacity is being strengthened through large-scale recruitment, and industry alignment is being institutionalised through AEDP and the Skill Development Policy.
The aspiration is clear: five years from now, every student studying in a government institution anywhere in Karnataka should feel that their college provided genuine capability, opportunity, and professional direction, not merely a degree certificate.
Also Read: Building Innovation Ecosystems on Campus: The University’s Role in India’s Startup Journey
The Campus to Career Summit has positioned graduate employability as a governance priority. What measurable commitments is Karnataka bringing to the summit, and how will accountability be ensured?
The Campus to Career Summit, scheduled for May 15–16, has been designed around a simple principle: every discussion must culminate in actionable commitments. The summit will bring together policymakers, Vice Chancellors, industry leaders, and skill-development practitioners in a results-oriented format focused on implementation.
One of the key outcomes of the summit will be the formal launch of the Karnataka Higher Education Vision Framework. This is not intended to be a broad conceptual document; it is a structured roadmap with timelines, institutional responsibilities, and measurable goals. Publicly articulating these commitments in the presence of industry and academic stakeholders itself creates a strong accountability mechanism.
The summit is also significant because it brings together multiple departments, Higher Education, Collegiate and Technical Education, Skill Development, IT & Biotechnology, and Commerce & Industries under a shared agenda. The challenge of employability cannot be addressed in silos. It requires coordinated policy alignment across departments and sectors.
Importantly, Karnataka’s major initiatives including AEDP, the ADB transformation project, the Skill Development Policy, and the AI Data Labs are not abstract ideas. They are programme-level commitments backed by budgets, implementation timelines, and institutional responsibilities.
The summit therefore serves as a platform not only for policy dialogue, but also for public accountability. It is where the state presents a clear message to students, institutions, and industry stakeholders: Karnataka is committed to building a higher education system that is future-ready, inclusive, industry-aligned, and outcome-driven.
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