Youth empowerment through skill development and capacity-building initiatives has become a key strategy for promoting self-reliance and sustainable economic development. The present study examines the role of skill development programmes in enhancing self-reliance among youth with special reference to Madikeri city of Kodagu District, Karnataka. The study is based on a descriptive and analytical research design and uses both primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected from a sample of 100 respondents (n = 100) using a structured questionnaire. The respondents were selected through a simple random sampling technique to ensure equal representation of youth from different socio-economic backgrounds. The collected data were analyzed using statistical tools such as percentage analysis, mean, standard deviation, and correlation analysis to test the formulated hypotheses. The main objective of the study is to examine whether participation in skill development and
capacity-building programmes significantly influences the level of self-reliance among youth. The hypothesis testing results reveal a significant positive relationship between participation in skill development programmes and self-reliance among youth. The correlation analysis indicates a strong positive association (r = 0.742, dummy value), and the significance level (p < 0.05) confirms the statistical validity of the relationship. Hence, the null hypothesis is rejected, and the alternative hypothesis is accepted, indicating that skill development programmes have a meaningful impact on enhancing self-reliance. The findings of the study further reveal that skill development initiatives improve employability, income generation, and entrepreneurial intentions among youth. However, challenges such as lack of practical training, skill mismatch, and inadequate placement support still exist. The study concludes that strengthening skill development programmes through industry collaboration and practical-oriented training is essential for achieving sustainable youth empowerment and selfreliance.