In an effort to engage with long-term skill development ecosystem on new age technologies in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) space, a three-day master classroom was organized at the National Skill Training Institute (NSTI), Chennai from 21 to 23 January 2020. This was organized by Department for International Development (DfID) in association with Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Govt. of India. NSTIs (formerly known as Advanced Training Institutes) are the nodal institutions set up under the aegis of DGT.
The three-day master classroom was first of its kind of an initiative which sought participation from over 25 trainers, faculty members from native ITIs and academic institutions and key senior practitioners from within the AEC sector in India. The sessions were curated and delivered by Dudley College of Technology, UK. Embracing a history of 150+ years, the college is operating over 4,000 vocational courses with a special emphasis on engineering and construction sector roles. This program set the stage for creating awareness and appreciation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) as a methodology in the AEC sector.
The first day highlighted a range of new age technologies in the sector with an ideation session on the importance of technology in the skill development parlance. Dr. Luana, the lead tutor from Dudley College engaged the audience with her presentation on the evolution of the tech-driven platforms and their advantages and disadvantages. This was followed up by introduction to BIM and its key principles and standards. Interfacing the developments from the UK, she also highlighted the relevance of BIM in the Indian context and possible areas to learn from the global standards.
The second day was focused on trainings on Revit, a leading software in designing and developing 3D-4D-5D models of proposed constructions capturing the granular details together with the involved time and cost.
The final day began with a talk on SMART BIM and SMART buildings and some of the developments with regards to AR/VR,
AI technologies in the construction sector. The program ended with the participants delivering presentations on the key takeaways and discussion on areas of intervention in furthering the trainings on technology-based roles.
The session was well received by the participants and they were exposed to modern methods of construction. The program got concluded with exchange of notes on the best practices available in both the countries regarding tech-driven innovations in the AEC sector.
