Department for International Development (DfID) in association with Construction Skill Development Council of India (CSDCI), organised a knowledge sharing session on modern methods in construction (MMC) with an added emphasis on Building Information Modelling (BIM).
The session was facilitated and delivered by experts from Dudley College of Technology, UK. More than 165 years old, the college is operating over 4,000 vocational courses with a special emphasis on engineering and construction sector roles. Dr. Luana Parisi, a Built Environment specialist, from the Dudley College was the lead presenter. She was well supported by Sanjeev Ohri, Chief Officer – Dudley Worldwide. The workshop intended to provide a road map for construction and design specialists, skills stakeholders, academia, policy makers and practitioners who are eager to learn the requirements to operate and work in new age Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) environment.
The session was opened by Ms. Kaustubhi Harit, Skills Policy Lead, DfID wherein she elucidated the commitment of DfID in furthering new age technologies in demand driven areas of workforce, for the sector. She highlighted about sector’s contribution of close to 9% to the GDP and being the second largest employer after agriculture in India; and a strong need for infusing technology in the sector. CEO, CSDCI also spoke about the need for enhanced and targeted skill trainings and the benefits of tech-based skill development initiatives in the sector.
The sessions led by Dr. Luana and Sanjeev outlined the fundamentals of BIM methodology and the Revit software, wherein the training sought to equip the participants with key principles and used cases around the BIM and other new age technologies. The presenters then shared the list of vocational courses that are available in the UK relating to BIM methodologies. They addressed a plethora of interesting questions from the audience, an admixture of training providers, industry associations, employers, academia from vocational to higher education institutions. The interactive sessions allowed an exchange of cross-country references and used cases of mainstreaming tech-based processes in the AEC sector.
“Sessions such as these allow us to understand the stakeholder view point more pertinently and help us in developing further interventions in strengthening the skills ecosystem” said, Ms. Anu Gupta, Head Skills, DfID on the session emphasizing the need for more such interactions which allows deepening of technical understanding amongst the stakeholders. Sanjeev highlighted that “the evolution of BIM around the globe will enable key stakeholders to move towards a greater collaborative and integrated approach.
The willingness of all the participants to take a lead on BIM was exceptionally gratifying.” The session was concluded with videos of case studies on new age technologies in the sector and summarization of UK best practices and their applicability in India.
