Karnataka govt seeks higher industry apprenticeship quota from Centre

Bengaluru, Oct 31 (PTI) The Karnataka government on Friday urged the Centre to raise the apprenticeship intake limit for industries, which was recently reduced by the Central Apprentices Council.

Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil said that increasing the ceiling would benefit both industries and aspiring youth by creating more employment and training opportunities.

Speaking at Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s (TKM) Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) at its Bidadi plant, about 40 km from Bengaluru, Patil urged Sonal Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, who was present at the event, to consider revising the current rule.

According to a statement from the minister’s office, industries are currently allowed to engage apprentices up to only 15 per cent of their total workforce. Increasing this limit, it said, would enable industries to contribute more effectively to skill development while expanding opportunities for youth.

Responding positively, Mishra assured that Karnataka’s proposal would soon be placed before the Central Apprentices Council for consideration.

On the occasion, Patil flagged off 100 Toyota Kaushalya apprentices trained under the company’s Global Skill-Up Training (GST) programme to Japan, describing it as a “rural-to-global opportunity” for Karnataka’s youth.

The selected apprentices—drawn from economically disadvantaged families across rural Karnataka—underwent three years of advanced training at TKM’s Bidadi facility, the statement said.

“These 100 apprentices will now undergo on-the-job training at Toyota’s Aichi manufacturing plant in Japan for 10 months, following a one-month classroom programme. The initiative not only sharpens their technical expertise but also helps them embrace global values and professionalism,” said B Padmanabha and G Shankara, Executive Vice-Presidents, Toyota Kirloskar Motor.

The GST programme, aligned with the Indo-Japan Technical Intern Training Program (TITP), aims to promote holistic development by combining technical skills, cultural understanding, and personal growth, the statement added. PTI AMP SSK