Chennai: Amid the Covid pandemic, the Tamil Nadu government went about signing a slew of investments deals and is now set to bag new industrial investments, for which the state cabinet cleared the incentive packages a few days ago. Tamil Nadu will soon become the hub for making Apple products joining the elite club of Foxconn and Salcomp that have established a base in the state. New units are also coming up in manufacturing, a thrust area for the state.
All of these require a steady supply of skilled manpower, the foundation to transform plans into success stories. To find out the gaps and training requirements, the state in partnership with PriceWaterhouseCoopers commissioned a first-of-its-kind study on skill gap assessment through Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC). It estimated that Tamil Nadu will have an incremental skilled labour demand of around 5.34 lakh during 2019-21 and 7.99 lakh during 2022-25 in priority sectors.
To meet the labour requirement, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami released the skill gap assessment and action plan for Tamil Nadu, and district skill development plans at the Investment and Skill Development Conclave 2019. Subsequently, he announced setting up of apex skill development centres (ASDCs) in healthcare, logistics, auto, construction and infrastructure sectors. Realising the need for market-driven knowledge experts, the state collaborated with companies with expertise in their sector to train the youth. These centres will be developed with the support of Japan International Co-Operation Agency (JICA) and various corporate leaders for imparting industry-specific training to more than 2 lakh youth every year.
A couple of months ago, Hyundai Motor India signed an MoU to establish a Hyundai Academy for Technical Skills (HATS) near Chennai at an investment of Rs150 crore. It has also been running a successful apprenticeship programme that trains youngsters every year. While some of them are retained by the company, others are free to build their career by joining firms of their choice.
“Hyundai is known for its apprenticeship and traineeship programme. A three-year-long programme for candidates completing their ITI/diploma courses, this offers both classroom-based and on-the-job training, equipping trainees to skilled workers in the auto industry,” said Stephen Sudhakar J, senior vice-president, people strategy and business support, Hyundai Motor India. With an aim to train well-rounded professionals, the company also imparts gives lessons on communication skills and overall personality development. “HATS will pave the way for sustained professional growth sparking an all-round personal and economic development for beneficiaries,” said Sudhakar.
Courtesy: Times of India