Bengaluru, July 11, 2024: Jindal Stainless, India’s largest stainless steel manufacturer, and skill development body Capital Goods & Strategic Skill Council (CGSSC) have joined forces to standardize one-of-its-kind skilling content for the stainless steel kitchenware industry that will benefit up to 20 lakh workers across India. The CEO, of Capital Goods & Strategic Skill Council, Ms Shalini Singh; and the Director, of Corporate Affairs, Jindal Stainless, Mr Vijay Sharma jointly launched the Participant Handbook (PH) and the Qualification Pack (QP) titled ‘Operator-Stainless Steel Kitchenware Manufacturing’ at the 14th Indian Houseware Show here over the weekend. A Skill India initiative, the PH is designed to address the industry-academia skill gap by imparting essential skills and creating a talent pool.
The newly launched Handbook will serve as the primary source of skilling content aimed at boosting productivity for both current and aspiring employees in the hollowware workforce. Additionally, the industry can utilize it for independent training sessions. By standardizing training, the Handbook will help increase productivity by reducing errors and waste through well-defined guidelines and best practices. This will also ensure consistent product quality, meeting both domestic and international standards.
Commenting at the launch, CEO, of CGSSC, Ms Shalini Singh, said, “We are happy to launch this one-of-a-kind Participant Handbook dedicated to the stainless steel kitchenware industry. We are hoping that as a first step, the regional kitchenware associations will circulate it in their regions or clusters. CGSSC takes pride in having developed structured training programs focusing on stainless steel properties, manufacturing techniques, quality standards, and safety protocols specific to kitchenware utensils in association with downstream markets and players such as Jindal Stainless. In the next 3 years, we want to target around 5,000 fresh talent and upskill 30,000 operators annually in stainless steel kitchenware manufacturing, with support from the industry and various government schemes. Such initiatives should be explored to be implemented in the Karnataka state for the employment and entrepreneurial ventures under the flagship of Karnataka Skill Development Corporation.”
Adding to it, Director, of Corporate Affairs, Mr Vijay Sharma, said, “As pioneers of stainless steel in India, we are pleased to introduce this Participant Handbook for the hollowware industry in collaboration with the CGSSC. Manufacturing stainless steel cookware demands precision, expertise, and meticulous attention to detail to produce high-quality products that meet consumer expectations for durability, performance, and safety. These initiatives are crucial for building a sustainable talent pipeline and ensuring the continued growth, competitiveness, and success of the stainless steel industry. Through this Handbook, we aim to emphasise workforce skill training as part of our Stainless Academy. This initiative of Jindal Stainless serves as a hub for education, training, skilling and upskilling, research, and collaboration. It works on multiple fronts to ensure category recognition and awareness, thereby increasing the usage of stainless steel.”
This training will include basic sheet metal operations, polishing operations, material handling and machine maintenance, plate bending and forming operations, spinning and beading operations, joining operations, etc. Shortly, these programs will be introduced in Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) and CGSSC-approved training centers as comprehensive training programs. On successful completion of the training course, candidates undergoing training (fresh skilling, upskilling, and reskilling) will be awarded an industry-government-recognized certificate. This is expected to have a cascading effect increase the attractiveness of the stainless steel kitchenware industry and highlight its immense employment potential.
A Qualification pack is an essential document within India’s National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), designed to standardize the skill requirements for various job roles across different industries. Along with every QP, a Participant Handbook (PH) is designed, having detailed contents, to enable training. The development of QPs & PH is a dynamic and iterative process that involves extensive stakeholder engagement, research, and validation to ensure that the resulting standards are robust, relevant, and practical for implementation in the vocational training ecosystem.