THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government will provide all necessary support for the development of talent pool in the state, Finance Minister K N Balagopal has said. He was inaugurating the pilot launch of “IGNITE Internship Programme”, organised by Kerala IT Parks on Thursday.
“The realisation of the skill gap in the industry and the need to address the same was the main trigger to initiate this programme. The aim is to provide necessary training to address the skill gap and equip the new generation for suitable employment opportunities,” he said. The minister also said the pilot programme is being planned to provide internships to 1,500 candidates in the first phase.
“It will be extended based on candidates’ participation and interest of the companies to come up with internship offers,” said Balagopal.
Former minister and Kazhakkoottam MLA Kadakampally Surendran presided over the function. Kerala IT Parks CEO John M Thomas welcomed the gathering. APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University vice-chancellor Rajasree M S, Gtech secretary Sreekumar V and Kerala Startup Mission CEO Anoop Ambika felicitated the gathering. ICT Academy of Kerala CEO Santhosh C Kurup delivered the vote of thanks.
The IGNITE internship programme will begin in August 2022 in collaboration with the companies from the three major IT parks in the state, Technopark Thiruvananthapuram, Infopark Kochi and Cyberpark Kozhikode.
Fostering skill development, the government announced the scheme to provide training to 5,000 candidates through internships in 2023. The plan is to provide internships to 1,500 candidates in the initial phase. The government will contribute `5,000 per month for the six-month internship and the recruiting company will also provide at least the same amount. The government had allocated `20 crore in the Kerala Budget 2022-2023 to address the shortage of adequately trained manpower for the IT and non-IT industries and envisaged a six-month internship training programme.