Proskills UK supports launch of Indian Paint and Coatings Sector Skills Council
The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has approved the Indian Paints Association (IPA) proposal to establish a dedicated paints and coatings skill council to address the widening and significant skills gaps which exist within the industry.
Proskills UK first signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the Indian Paint Association’s establishment of a Paint and Coatings Sector Skills Council in January 2014. 18 months of hard work has seen the Indian Paint and Coatings Sector Skills Council launch at the IPA Annual General Meeting held in July 2015.
This dedicated paint and coatings skills council which will create the standards required for skills, encourage and promote the setting up of the required training institutions and academies and ensure that all those working in the Indian Paint and Coatings sector are competent and well trained to a high level.
Jonathan Ledger, CEO Proskills UK travelled to Kolkata to give the key note address to the committee and the members of the IPA at their 52nd AGM, and said
“Skills development is a key issue to industry sustainability and growth in any country. The IPA’s proactive move to develop a sector body to manage the skills standards and training provision is a significant step forward and one that will see at least 1m workers receive training for the first time. Proskills UK will support the Indian Paint and Coatings Skills Council by sharing its extensive experience in industry-led skills development and delivery. This will provide the mechanism through which Indian workers will be able to gain both practical and technical skills and training. The strong partnership that Proskills has with the new skills council will no doubt deliver opportunities for leading UK industry-related training companies and colleges to provide commercial services to support the ambitions of the IPA and the Indian Government. It’s an exciting time and I am so pleased that Proskills is an integral part of this fantastic venture.”
Addressing IPA’s 52nd AGM, the IPA’s outgoing President, Jayakumar Krishnaswamy confirmed that the number of skilled painters required across the country is estimated to increase from 1.7 million in 2013-14 to around three million by 2023-24, and said
“The paint industry, owing to its staggering growth rate over the last decade, has been facing a skills crunch, especially in the area of paint application. The association believes that the sustainability of the growth in the paint industry can only be achieved through proactive initiatives to address the skill gaps in the entire value chain. We are very grateful for the partnership with skills experts Proskills UK.”
Mr V S Ram, Head of the new Paint and Coatings Skills Council said
“The Paints & Coatings Skill Council will be the primary vehicle for development of skills across the full spectrum of jobs in the Indian paint and coatings industry. This new SSC is expected to benefit from intensive industry participation, which in turn will address the skill gaps faced by coatings employers of all sizes. IPA has estimated that over a million people will need to be trained in the coatings sector in the next decade and so we have a lot of work to do.”
Mr Biji Kurien, Industry Stalwart and ex IPA President remarked
“The double digit growth of the Indian Paint Industry in the last decade, has resulted in tremendous skill gaps in almost all sectors of the paint industry supply chain, from raw material procurement, production, logistics, retailing and ultimately in the application of the paints. As the original developer of the SSC proposal, I have the satisfaction of handing this over to the safe hands of Mr Ram who will make it success for the industry. The ongoing help and support received from Proskills UK is very much appreciated by me and the IPA. I am confident that strong partnership between IPA and Proskills will continue to benefit all”.
Mr Biji Kurien (left), Mr Jonathan Ledger (centre), Mr V S Ram (Right)
Notes:
National Skill Development Corporation(NSDC) is a not-for-profit company set up by the Ministry of Finance, within the Indian Government. NSDC is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) in India set up to facilitate the development and upgrading of the skills of the growing Indian workforce through skill training programmes. A large part of the organisation’s efforts are directed at the private sector and towards developing the skills in the unorganised sector in India. NSDC supports skill development efforts, especially in the unorganised sector in India by funding skill training and development programmes. It also engages in advocacy and training programmes, in-depth research to discover skill gaps in the Indian workforce, and developing accreditation norms.