Private companies like Godrej, Mahindras, L&T to train workers for defence manufacturing

NEW DELHI: Struggling to find skilled manpower for the specialised field of defence manufacturing that is expected to take off exponentially in the coming decade, major private sector players have joined hands to create a skills council that aims to train over 1.5 lakh people in the strategic manufacturing sector.

A special Strategic Manufacturing Skills Council (SMSC) is being set up with key private sector players, including Godrej, Mahindras, L&T, Bharat Forge and the Tatas, being brought together by the CII to train and certify workers at all levels, with the support of the government. The SMSC, that will also certify 200 training institute and 3,320 trainers, will be chaired by Udayant Malhotra, managing director, Dynamatic Tech, and will have representatives from the defence and shipping ministries. The target is to train at least 1.5 lakh people within a decade.

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The CII has identified four major sectors for the SMSC — defence equipment manufacturing, ship building and repair, homeland security equipment and firefighting equipment. "The sector provides employment to about 12 lakh people and is expected to reach 30.5 lakh over the next 10 years. India will need 18.5 lakh technologically/highly skilled, skilled and semi-skilled people within the next decade to join the strategic manufacturing industry," a CII official told ET.

While major employment opportunities are present in the sector, a huge challenge being faced is the lack of availability of engineers as well as skilled workers as the Make in India policy results in major projects and manufacturing opportunities.

"The demand far exceeds the availability and if the sector grows with increased dependence on indigenous manufacturing vis a vis imports, the gap is likely to widen which will lead to a shrinking recruitment pool," the CII official said.

The SMSC, CII officials said, will identify skill gaps and frame occupational standards. "The SMSC will set benchmarks for determining the skills standards for the existing workforce and new entrants, creating standardized curriculums and benchmarks for training and developing career pathways for the existing workforce," the CII official said.