Lack of trained staff is now becoming a major hurdle in roll-out of expansion plans for many infrastructure firms. They are now investing in setting up of engineering education and training colleges to internalize manpower requirements by providing education and training in the skills set as required by the industry.
Such efforts have already taken off in Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) which plans for in-house engineering institutes to cater specifically to the needs of the power sector, and other major industry are soon following with huge infrastructure players as Larsen & Toubro (L&T) to start an institute of project management, with the aim of developing managers with specialized skills spanning the engineering, procurement, construction and manufacturing sectors.
The Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (ISRO) model is being considered as the institute was successful in meeting its manpower requirements with the with the objective of offering bachelor's degree in space technology with specialisation in avionics and aerospace engineering. Similar industry-specific skill sets are required by the power sector which in its big expansion plans in the coming years is in face with manpower crunch. Almost all the players including Tata Power, Lanco Infratech, Jindal Steel & Power, Reliance Energy, NHPC Ltd and Damodar Valley Corporation have chalked out plans to establish new industrial training institutes.
According to a recent joint study by Crisil and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, around 20 lakh trained personnel would be required for meeting the power capacity addition targets set for next five year plans.
