The Hindu Business Line : Cos urged to recruit retired army officers

Retiring armed forces personnel, numbering 60,000 annually (including 3,000 officers) are now being prepared for a `second career' outside the system through a vigorous skills training programme taken up by the Directorate General Resettlement (DGR), under the Ministry of Defence.

Speaking to newspersons here at the sidelines of a national meet on "Defence-Industry Partnership in HR Management, organised by CII, ER, the Union Defence Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, said that prospective employers in the private sector too should get involved in such training programmes for a suitable pick of trained candidates.

The Defence Minister suggested that corporates should exploit the talent of retired senior army officers to fill up the large number of slots available for `independent directors' on their boards. The DGR, he informed, was now conducting a short capsule course to equip senior officers who could take up such assignments.

It is learnt that several courses are also being run by the DGR to prepare personnel below officers rank (PBOR) for a wide range of job opportunities. A recent introduction has been a transition training capsule for retiring PBOR at regimental centres during their last month in service.

Mr Mukherjee said along with the training teams, representatives of prospective employers too have been grouped. He said some leading corporates have shown keen interest in emerging opportunities where a concentration of retiring PBOR talent was readily available for selection and, even spot recruitment or shortlisting.

Seeking close interaction between captains of industry and DGR to match demand with availability, the Minister urged the corporate sector to take full advantage of this largely available multi-faceted HR pool for mutual benefits. Such personnel, according to him, were not only combatants, but also technically qualified personnel spanning over 250 technical trades.

Government help

He said many States such as Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have come forward to provide land for creating suitable facilities for resettlement of retiring armed forces personnel.

Mr Mukherjee said the Ministry has already approached many other State Governments for help in this regard. Mr Mukherjee said several State Governments too have taken the initiative to recruit army talent in different departments.

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