Learning muscle
The Tata Indian Institute of Skills is collaborating with the central government’s Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to give employability a shot in the arm
Shruti Bagla had never heard about the Tata Indian Institute of Skills (Tata IIS) until the outreach team from the institute visited her college in Aurangabad in Maharashtra a year ago.
“I started researching them online and found some extraordinary courses,” says the 20-year-old. “After I had received my diploma in engineering and telecommunications, I was struggling to figure out what to do. The course in industrial automation was what I needed to build on my electronics background.”
Ms Bagla’s friends were sceptical and tried to dissuade her from joining the Indian Institute of Skills (IIS)-Mumbai. “They felt it was just another institute where I would waste time being ‘taught’ a skill but never actually learn one,” says Ms Bagla, “that I was better off opting for a campus placement that would get me a job right away. They were wrong.”
That’s because IIS-Mumbai offers plenty of skills training, including hands-on learning. Classroom lessons are combined with practicals — using the latest and best of equipment and technologies — and there are frequent field trips to companies where trainees can see the industrial and real-world applications of what they study.
“We learn faster and better because of this,” says Ms Bagla, who recently graduated from IIS-Mumbai with a certificate in industrial automation fundamentals, and has secured a job as junior engineer with one of India’s leading aluminium manufacturing enterprises.
Tata IIS was formed in 2020 to establish two centres of skilling excellence: IIS-Ahmedabad and IIS-Mumbai, both of which offer world-class learning and facilities.
Born out of a collaboration between the Indian government’s Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Tata Trusts, IIS offers highly specialised and future-facing courses in industrial automation robotics, computer numerical control, robotic welding, 3D printing, electric vehicles and hospitality.
Matching the biggies
The Institute aims to cater to the manufacturing sector as well as other emerging businesses. “The institutes emerged from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to make India the skills capital of the world,” says the organisation’s chief executive, Sabyasachi Das. “The intent is to create international quality skills training institutions which, over time, can match the stature of an Indian Institute of Technology or an Indian Institute of Management.”
Skills are a government priority. There is a big push with the ‘Make in India’ initiative to have well-trained personnel to fulfil the growing needs of the Indian economy. Also, Tata IIS and others like it can ease a problem highlighted in a McKinsey & Co report, which predicted that India could face a potential skill gap of 85-90 million by 2030.
The National Skill Development Corporation found that in 2022 the demand for skilled workers in the manufacturing sector had touched 109 million, but supply was at about 80 million. While India has a substantial working-age population, there is also growing unemployment because companies and factories cannot find enough skilled talent.
“[Human resources development for youth] can only happen if we are able to align it with the needs of industry,” says MSDE Secretary Atul Tiwari. “The Tata group and the Tata Trusts have undertaken to partner with the government in creating these Institutes. We hope that it will be possible for others to come forward in this manner so that we can create skilled people for our industry, whether in manufacturing or services.”
A focus on skilling is imperative if India wants to become a global manufacturing powerhouse. “There are many sectors across manufacturing, construction, retail, finance and hospitality that have a large skilling requirement,” says Mr Das. “And manufacturing itself is changing, with a lot of automation and robotics being incorporated into processes, not just by large corporations but by smaller companies and the vendor ecosystem as well.”
Smaller organisations struggle to compete because of their lack of technical capabilities and capital expenditure requirements. Tata IIS can help with the capabilities component.
Sectors such as electronics, electric vehicles, defence and semiconductors — or any that the government is providing production-linked incentive schemes for — will also gain importance in the years to come. “You have to be forward-looking if you want to create an international-standard organisation,” says Mr Das.
The Tata IIS campuses in Mumbai and Ahmedabad have been complemented by a third Institute set up by the Indian government in Kanpur. “We have an agreement with the government that by year five we should have 5,000 graduates from each of our two institutes,” says Mr Das. “We would like to do larger numbers in future, perhaps through a hub-and-spoke model, with these two campuses being supported by smaller centres.” This could then translate into aspirants from tier 2, 3 and 4 cities having access to quality skills training.
Perfect opportunities
That means people like Kaushal Trivedi, an electrical engineer from Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Mr Trivedi was keen to learn more about electric vehicles (EVs) after writing a paper on EV charging during his master’s programme. “I searched for courses that would help me expand my knowledge, particularly in EV batteries and charging technologies,” he says, “and I found the perfect opportunity at IIS-Ahmedabad.”
Gaining knowledge about EV batteries has helped Mr Trivedi develop a deep understanding of EVs in general. “The education I received has not only enhanced my technical abilities but also prepared me to succeed in a dynamic, ever-changing world,” adds Mr Trivedi, now a trainer at IIS-Ahmedabad.
The Tata IIS curriculum plugs into that very world by seeking inputs from those who will benefit: companies. The courses have been designed taking their advice on what works and what does not and, more importantly, what they require in terms of skilled labour.
“Companies typically struggle to find trained people at the entry level,” explains Nidhi Goyal, executive vice president at Tata IIS. “Our focus in designing our first six courses was to look at entry-level needs and select skills that are required in large numbers and also involve a degree of complexity.”
If defence, space or healthcare picks up as a sector, Tata IIS will identify the skills gap there and step up to fill it. That’s the objective, but finding trainers for nascent or emerging sectors has been a challenge.
Getting the skilling equation right has been a priority for Tata IIS. Says Ms Goyal: “Finding the right trainers and ensuring that they deliver with a strong focus on hands-on learning, with some of the most advanced equipment in the world, is the differentiator for Tata IIS. We operate in small batches to ensure a good machine-to-trainee ratio.”
Vibhuti Nath is an example of the sort of trainer the Institutes have on board. Mr Nath joined IIS-Mumbai in August 2022 as a trainer with the advanced automation and robotics and the advanced arc welding techniques courses. He has 17 years of industry experience, having started as a robotics engineer in 2007.
“Over these last 17 years I have only seen the demand for robotics engineers increasing,” he says. “India is moving towards industrial automation but the number of people required to operate the robots is not growing at the pace it should. Demand outstrips supply, so finding a job in manufacturing will not be difficult right now.” That’s great news for the trainees since Tata IIS also organises placements.
Employable and more
“Our motive is to give our students sufficient skills so that they become significantly employable,” says Mr Nath. Of the first-ever batch that graduated from Mumbai and Ahmedabad — a total of 163 students — about 70% have found good jobs and some 25% have had multiple offers.
Tata IIS is now looking to broaden its horizons. “From batch three or four, we will be trying, with the help of the government, to place our students abroad,” says Mr Das. “We also want to invite students from Africa and our neighbouring countries to come and train at our Institutes.”
Tata IIS is also set to be of help for wannabe entrepreneurs among their graduates. The Institutes’ core purpose is to provide high-quality skills training with the objective of improving livelihoods. Adding to its lustre is the fact that it is a not-for-profit entity and that it contributes to India’s strategic requirements.