New multi-storey construction projects across the country will soon become an on-site training campus for skilled and unskilled labour.
After successfully trying out the on-site training concept in Pune in the last few months, realtors' body, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (Credai), is now planning to replicate this earn-while-you-learn concept in other major cities.
This is one of the initiatives that Credai is unrolling to overcome the problem of shortage of skilled labour in the Indian construction industry.
The industry is today smarting under a nearly 30 per cent labour shortage. The domestic construction sector, including real estate, is estimated to require 33 million skilled and unskilled labourers per day, while the availability is hardly 23 million, as per Credai estimates.
“The situation will only worsen in the next decade, as urban infrastructure development gets sharpened focus. The requirement for workers may go up three fold in the coming decade,” Mr C. Sekhar Reddy, Credai Vice-President, told Business Line .
The Pune chapter of Credai, under the aegis of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), has been trying out the on-site training mode as one of the tools to overcome the labour shortage problem. Under this model, trainers will be providing on-site training to workers in different fields such as masonry, plumbing, electrical works and painting.
“We have already received enquiries to replicate this model from West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Mumbai. We may do certain modifications in the Pune model, before replicating it at these places,” Mr Reddy, who is representing Credai on NSDC, said.
This sector has been attracting lesser interest from the younger generation in the last few years. “For one, there is no glamour in this profession. We are now trying to push for utilisation of part of the labour cess funds available with State Governments for labour welfare. In Andhra Pradesh, for example, about Rs 500 crore of labour cess funds, contributed partly by developers', is available with the State Labour department,” he said.
Credai, which represents 6,000 developers in 22 States accounting for nearly 80 per cent of India's real estate development, has come out with a code-of-conduct to enhance transparency and bolster confidence of buyers.
Credai's Hyderabad unit announced a new executive committee, with Mr N. Jaiveer Reddy (MD of Ashoka Builders) as chairman, Mr Yoganand Gajjala (chairman of Manjeera Group) as president and Mr S. Ram Reddy (CMD SMR Holdings) as general secretary.