Tata Projects has launched worker upskilling initiatives to empower its workforce and promote sustainable practices within the construction industry. At the company’s project site for Chennai Metro Rail Ltd in Madhavaram, a batch of 25 students are getting trained on metro projects and creating a pool of talented workforce for the industry, said K Ramesh, Assistant Vice President, Projects, Tata Projects Ltd (TPL).

The idea is to provide comprehensive training, accredited certification, and financial support to workers, while also benefiting the company through improved site management and a skilled talent pool, he told newspersons at the project site.

Improving employability

The purpose of introducing the training initiatives is to empower workers by giving them the opportunity to become skilled construction experts and thereby improve their employability. Through this initiative, our workforce has a chance to not just upskill themselves but also advance their careers and open doors to higher positions and better-paying jobs, he said.

The company is doing three projects for CMRL with total value of ₹4,500 crore. There are nearly 10,000 TPL employees, including 3,000 for Chennai Metro project, in Tamil Nadu. The upskilling programme is also rolled out at Chennai Peripheral Ring Road and at TCS, Siruseri, he said.

Deven Sanjeev Moye, General Manager, HR, TPL, said the company has nearly 80,000 personnel with 40-50 per cent of them in the helper category. The challenges lie in upskilling the workforce to improve productivity. These are the target people for the company’s Skill Shakthi initiative. Nearly 30 per cent of the workforce are in the skilled category and 20 per cent in the highly skilled category. The question is how to retain them and provide career advancement pathways. These two categories are eligible for Nirmaan Nayak, he said.

Bridging the gaps

Both Skill Shakti and Nirmaan Nayak initiatives are designed to bridge the gap between unskilled labour and professional expertise, he said. The two programmes aim to empower over 6,500 workers across 12 sites by April 2025, addressing the critical need for skilled professionals in the sector while uplifting the lives of countless individuals and their families, he added.

Under Skill Shati, the employees are provided training based on site requirement in areas like carpentry, bar bending, masonry and electrical works. The idea is to upskill from helper to semi-skilled category. The training is for five weeks, he said.

The Nirmaan Nayak programme has one year Diploma Basics; 2-year Higher Diploma and 3-year Degree in Site Accounts. The company spends nearly ₹1.33 lakh per person, he said.

The career advancement pathway is supported by accredited certifications from esteemed institutions such as CIDC and Kalinga University, significantly enhancing the credibility and employability of our workforce, he said.