The IT capital of the country plans to set up re-skilling workshops for engineers because of increase in automation and changing technology requirements from companies.

“Creation of jobs is getting difficult and in this light setting up of an incubator in tier II cities where we feel that the talent can be at par with metros,” Karnataka industries minister, RV Deshpande told BusinessLine .

Incubation centre

Deshpande’s confidence stems from the fact that already senior people from French technology company Dassault Systèmes is planning to set up an incubation centre, details of which are still being worked out.

Deshpande is also concerned about many ‘qualified’ engineers who are out of jobs as automation and other technology shifts have made their services redundant. The government is also looking to set up finishing schools in areas such as automation and visual FX.

“The State has to play a significant role in re-skilling else it will prove catastrophic,” believes Deshpande.

This development also comes at a time when IT exports has started to de-grow due to a combination of factors – from protectionist measures in developed markets, the changing nature of technology consumption, to the rising number of startups and the pressure it is putting on main cities such as Bengaluru.

This, in turn, has impacted job creation, an area which the $108 billion Indian IT sector has been in the forefront.

Simultaneously, Karnataka will continue to press on its start-up focus. IT minister Priyank Kharge in an interaction with reporters said that the state has a plan to encourage 20,000 start-ups in the next 5 years, with a total investment of ₹400 crore.

“Out of this ₹200 crore will come from the government and the rest from banks or other financial companies,” he said. The State is willing to bet on new ideas and fund up to ₹50 lakh for every idea. “The government is willing to take that risk and we have to do that to sustain the ecosystem,” said Kharge.

Areas of focus

These centres will come up in emerging technology areas such as Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, 3D printing and robotics, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said at the 19th edition of Bengaluru IT.biz, an industry event. Further, sectors such as aerospace and cyber security will be the focus areas, the chief minister added.

Traditionally, critics of the IT industry have voiced their concerns around the government giving more preference to software services sectors, thereby neglecting other sectors, a lacunae which the industry is trying to rectify.

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