The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : School of Construction Artisans opened

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 03, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

School of Construction Artisans opened

Staff Reporter

Photo: K. Ananthan

New initiative: Joint Managing Director of Gammon India Limited S.A. Reddy (left) inaugurating the Training Yard at the School of Construction Artisans at Perianaickenpalayam in Coimbatore on Friday. –

COIMBATORE: Training courses for construction workers should take into consideration the changing techniques because of rapid mechanisation, S.A. Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Gammon India Limited said here on Friday.

Speaking at the inauguration of the School of Construction Artisans, an initiative of the Builders’ Association of India – Coimbatore Centre in association with the Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, he said that though there were a number of polytechnics and industrial training institutes, very few offered programmes in construction trades.

Hence, there was a vacuum. This resulted in low productivity from the workers.

Training activities should look at training the workforce in operating these machines. Germany was one of the foremost countries in vocational training. The focus should be on practical training as it improved productivity and efficiency. Such programmes helped create a pool of trained manpower, he said.

President of the Builders Association of India S.P. Goel said training of labour was one of the foremost needs of the industry. Though several centres of the association had initiated training programmes, Coimbatore was the first to start such an organised one. This would be a milestone for other centres to embark. In construction, with increase in the pace of infrastructure works, the output of the workers should be improved. With trained manpower, about 40 per cent of the cost could be saved.

Rajiv Kumar, Director-Sales of ACC limited, said the company personnel used to go to sites to train masons. In association with the Builders’ Association it was setting up a help centre in Coimbatore to educate the workers, contractors and customers.

G. Murali, principal of the Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya Industrial Training Institute, said students would be trained to achieve overall development. The institute had recruited students and the programme would help rehabilitate school drop-outs.

B. Jayaram, chairman of the training committee of the association said there was a demand for skilled technicians in the construction sector. In the first year, 300 students would be trained. The association planned to extend the programme to more trades and also offer diploma programmes. A hostel facility and training yard had been developed for this programme. Students would be given free of cost training in three major areas: masonry, barbending and form work carpentry.

G. Srinivasan, chairman of the BAI-Coimbatore centre, said the ACC had contributed Rs. 40 lakhs to the project and had assured its continued support. The Coimbatore centre had taken up several programmes for the development of the construction sector, he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu