HIL trains artisans for construction industry

HIL Limited, a flagship company of the C.K. Birla Group of companies, has joined hands with an NGO in Andhra Pradesh to train and build a talent pool of artisans for the construction industry, an official said Wednesday.

Under the initiative, HIL, formerly Hyderabad Industries Limited, rolled out its first pilot project aimed at creating employment opportunities for the rural and economically weaker people.

Under the project titled 'Tarakki ki Chhaon Mein', HIL alongwith Shramika Educational Society enrolled 25 students from rural Andhra Pradesh for a 45-day course.

Abhaya Shankar, managing director, HIL, told reporters here that 50 students would be trained in two batches. The company, which has pan-India presence, plans to roll out similar projects in eight other locations in the country to train a total of 250 students this year.

The project will train and build a talent pool of masons, carpenters, electricians and fitters.

Shankar said the project was aimed at bridging the gap of non-availability of skilled manpower and also fulfilling the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) objective of skilling 500 million people by 2022.

The course is targeted to uplift weaker sections of the society with an education background of Class 8 to 12 and those who do not have access to skill training.

Shankar said while HIL, which is into building construction material, will not absorb all of those passing out after the course but it would help in their placements.

He said the boys would be imparted training in installing roofing sheets, Aerocon panels and general skills in using green building materials.

Mohan Sarju, president of Shramika Educational Society, said the students would go through a rigorous training and will be awarded certificates from Shramika, which has a tie-up with Steinbeis-Germany, a technology transfer company and a certification body.

Trained students can look forward to start their career with an initial salary of Rs.5,500-7,000 per month and scale up to a level of Rs.15,000 per month within a span of two years, depending upon their performance.