State Government to expand skill training, employment avenues: Minister V. Sivankutty announces projects in the labour sector

General Education and Labour Minister V. Sivankutty on Sunday (January 25, 2026) announced a series of ambitious projects planned to be implemented during the next three months.

Mr. Sivankutty, who addressed a press conference here, said the government is committed to strengthening the State’s employment sector and enhancing skill development among the youth.

Under the ‘Connect to Work’ scheme, students undergoing skill training and those preparing for competitive examinations will receive a monthly stipend of ₹1,000 during their study period. A budget allocation of ₹600 crore has been earmarked for the project.

Another initiative, the ‘Karmachari’ scheme, aims to promote a culture of work alongside education among students through partnerships with employers. The scheme will be inaugurated in the first week of February.

In a bid to create international employment avenues, Kerala will send students for dual vocational training in Germany, where they can earn stipends of up to ₹1.3 lakh. The first Indo-German Training Fair will be held in the fourth week of February, The initiative will benefit nearly 500 students. Moreover, a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed with the German state of Hesse in the second week of March, the Minister added.

He also announced the establishment of an Innovation and Research Park at Kottarakkara to provide training in drone technology. The transit campus of the facility will commence at the Government Polytechnic College in Ezhukone in the second week of February.

A skill complex will be established at Chala in Thiruvananthapuram at a cost of ₹45 crore. The foundation stone will be laid in the third week of March.

An extensive project will also be launched in March to modernise Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) at a cost of ₹482 crore. Moreover, new ITI buildings at Varkala, Peringome (Kannur), Kuttikol (Kasaragod) and Maniyur (Kozhikode) will be inaugurated in February.

Model career centres have already been set up in Kannur and Thalappilly (in Thrissur) for job seekers. Career development centres will commence functioning at Karamana and Chelakkara in February. The Kozhikode model employment exchange will begin operations by January end.

An accident death insurance scheme offering ₹5 lakh coverage for workers registered under the Wage Protection System will be launched in the second week of February. The workers’ contribution has been fixed at a nominal fee of ₹150.

A special loan scheme for motor workers to purchase auto rickshaws will also be introduced in February. A multilingual mobile app enabling factory workers to file complaints in 12 languages will be launched in the third week of February.