Bengaluru : The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the Aerospace and Aviation Sector Skills Council (AASSC) organized a workshop for promotion of apprenticeship in the aerospace and aviation sector on 5th July 2019, in technical collaboration with the Department for International Development (DFID), Government of UK, as part of the “Skills for Job” programme. The workshop provided a unique platform to bring the industry, academia, training providers, regulators together and discussed issues related to apprenticeships in the aerospace and aviation sector and gather an industry buy-in. It was facilitated by KPMG.
Mr. Dominic McAllister, British Deputy High Commissioner in Bengaluru, delivered the keynote address highlighting similarities between the UK and Indian skilling ecosystem, and opportunities for experience sharing on various aspects of apprenticeship training. Mr. Sanjay Valsangkar, Senior Programme Manager, DFID, highlighted the work done and planned initiatives under “Skills for Job” programme for strengthening skilling and apprenticeship including in the aviation and aerospace sector.
Mr. Surajit Roy, Head of Apprenticeship Division at NSDC explained the main features of the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), recommendations of the Apprenticeship Act and its implications on the industry. Mr Chetan S., Manager (Standards, Accreditation & Certification) AASSC spoke about their role in curriculum approval. Ms. Mamatha BE from Electronics City Industries Association (ELCIA), a third party aggregator also explained their role as facilitators in the entire apprenticeship value chain. In addition, industry partners such Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) shared their experience and suggestions to improve the implementation of the NAPS programme.
The workshop saw the participation of major industry partners operating in India under sub sectors such as airports, aerospace manufacturing, maintenance, repair& overhaul (MRO), Cargo and ground handlers etc.. Representatives from entities such as GE aviation,HAL, GMR, Airport Authority of India (AAI), National Aviation University (NAU), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), NTTF, SIATI etc. among many others participated in the workshop.
Industry partners expressed proactive support in the implementation of apprenticeship programme in the sector. Some of the key discussions points included (i) learning from international best practices on productivity enhancement through apprenticeships (ii) designing of apprenticeship curriculum in line with the industry requirements (iii) retention of apprentices(iv) need for a CoE for apprenticeships training in the aviation sector and; (v) need of labour market information system (LMIS) for reliable supply and demand data in the aviation sector.
