Bangalore: To ensure Karnataka''s attractiveness as the prime knowledge sector destination in the country, the state government is helping academic-cum-industry majors set up `IT finishing schools`. The idea is to spread employment by training engineering graduates from towns and rural areas, who will then be placed directly in software and hardware firms across the state.

M N Vidyashankar, information technology secretary, government of Karnataka, told reporters, "Karnataka is the first state in the country to facilitate such novel IT schools, which will enable tech graduates hailing from secondary cities, towns and rural areas to get absorbed in the knowledge sector with the right skills, aptitude and competitive spirit.

"The strategy is to not only bridge the growing demand-supply gap, but also make sure talent pools are readily available for the knowledge firms setting up or expanding their operations in secondary cities like Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli, Bellary, Belgaum, Gulbarga and Raichur," Vidyashankar said.

The government has given the green signal to the Raman Institute of Information Technology (RIIT) to set up the first such IT finishing school in Mysore. With an up-front investment of Rs12 crore, it aims to train about 5,000 engineering graduates every year.

Banks such as Syndicate Bank have offered to provide 5-year tenure loans up to Rs75,000 to prospective graduate trainees.

The second IT finishing school will be set up by the Dayanand Sagar Educational Institute on the outskirts of Bangalore. And Dale Carnegie, a leading US-based soft skills training institute, has offered to set up the third school at the upcoming Bidadi Knowledge City, Vidyashankar said.