Flying High with Skilling: NSDC is Creating Talent Pool for the Leading Aerospace and Aviation Sector

Highlights

* 72 job roles have been developed in the aerospace and aviation sector through extensive industry engagement
* NSDC, in association with AASSC, is organising an industry seminar on February 6 during DefExpo 2020 to address the skill gap in the aerospace and aviation sectors

Aerospace and Aviation Sector Skill Council (AASSC) supported by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has developed qualification packs for as many as 72 job roles spread across five sub sectors through extensive industry engagement with the aviation industry. The aim is to ensure adequate supply of skilled work force to meet the demands of the industry and expand the employment opportunities in the sector, considering the growth expected by the aerospace and aviation sectors in the near future. The Indian aviation market is on a high growth path and is expected to become the third largest market this year, and the largest by 2030.

The courses implemented under the new initiative include Airline Cabin Crew, Airline Customer Service Executive, Airline Reservation Agent, Airline Ramp Executive among others. The move is further driven by the fact that last year, India showcased an outstanding performance at the world’s biggest international skills competition, WorldSkills 2019 held at Kazan, Russia. Representing India in the category – Aircraft Maintenance was 23-year old Ananda Sri Ganesha.

As per industry estimates, India currently ranks fourth in the civil aviation market, with around 116.7 million passengers – inbound and outbound. By 2035, the Indian Civil Aviation sector will employ and estimated 0.8 to 1 million personnel directly and another 3 million indirectly across the segments of Airport, Airlines, Cargo, MRO and Ground Handling.

To address the skilled manpower requirement in the sectors, NSDC is organizing an industry seminar on February 6 at the 11th DefExpo 2020 to be held in Lucknow from February 5-9, 2020. DefExpo provides a platform for all industry stakeholders to meet and discuss industry issues, solutions and best practices. At the seminar, NSDC aims to host a productive dialogue on various skill related issues including reducing the skill gap in the aerospace, aviation and defense sectors.  Deliberations will also be on the rapid digitization in the sectors and the availability of a competent workforce in the country to cater to the needs of the industry and its digital transformation.

To highlight the achievements of the AASSC’s partnership with NSDC, the Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt. Ltd (AISATS) Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) initiative has oriented, assessed and certified over 3179 candidates, till now. Further, the project aims to assess and certify around 6,700 candidates by AASSC for 13 Job Roles. Multi-Skill Development Centre (MSDC) for Aviation Skilling has been set-up at Chandigarh under the CSR scheme to train about 2,400 youth over the 3 years. The job roles identified for this initiative include Airline Customer Service Executive; Airline Security Executive; Airline Reservation Agent; Airline Flight Load Controller; Airline Cargo Assistant and Airline Ramp Executive.

National Aerospace Laboratories (N.A.L), a premier aerospace R&D laboratory under CSIR, inaugurated an Aerospace Skill Development Centre, catering to Design & Development and Manufacturing Assembly subsectors on 1st Jun 2019 at Bengaluru. The centre is being affiliated to AASSC framework and will offer short-term skill certification courses under NSQF. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (H.A.L) has initiated training under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). 230 candidates for the Job Roles of Aerospace Structural Fitter, Aerospace CNC Machinist, Aerospace Composite Technician & Aerospace Conventional Machinist have been assessed and certified under the project.

AASSC has also conducted assessments for the Indian Navy personnel under Aviation & MRO subsector Job Roles like Airline Security Executive, Aircraft Powerplant Technician & Aircraft Instrument Technician. A total of 472 candidates were assessed and certified until September 2019.

As India positions itself to achieve strong economic growth, availability of a highly-skilled workforce that can help organizations across sectors to maintain their competitive capabilities is necessary. NSDC with the support of its training partners aims to create highly specialized workforce from the existing talent pool by initiating skill programmes and modules. The training partners will run skill programmes based on industry centric curriculum. These are short term programmes, ranging from 3 to 6 months. The idea is not to replace the academic system but to bridge the industry-academic gap and provide industry-ready workers to companies.

Etsy Conducts Photography Enablement Workshop for Small Sellers in Bangalore

Etsy, the global marketplace for unique, handmade and creative goods, hosted ‘TheEtsyCollective’ in Bangalore and conducted the photography enablement workshop for the small sellers of the city.

#TheEtsyCollective is an interactive and informative session which brings together people from all walks of life who share a common passion for craft and creativity.

The event started with an interactive session with Etsy seller,Divya Gupta , a unique handcrafted silver jewellery designer and maker with a quirky little shop on Etsy called ‘AliameJewelry’. This was followed by an exciting round of Q&A where the participants interacted with Etsy representatives to understand the fundamentals of setting up an Etsy shop and selling globally.

To educate and spread awareness about the importance of photography in online selling, the event had a photography enablement workshop conducted by professional photographer, Mahalakshmi R, who helped the participants in learning the tactics of product photography.

Commenting on the Etsy Collective, Himanshu Wardhan, Managing Director for India, Etsy, said, “The Etsy seller community in India is made up of some of the most talented and creative people. As an organisation that truly believes in keeping the human connection at the heart of e-commerce, the Etsy Collective helps in interacting with the creative community on an individual level. I am really impressed with the artisans from Bangalore and would love for them to explore entrepreneurship and digital opportunities through Etsy”.

The event saw a great turn-out, particularly women, who formed the majority of the audience. Interestingly, 87% of sellers on Etsy are women and 97% of people operate their creative business from their homes. Globally, Etsy has 2.3 million sellers, with 43.7 million buyers from more than 80 countries around the world.

The Etsy Collective aims to recognise the existing seller base from India and helps them share their experience with the larger creative community in India. It started in December 2018 and in the last one year, 52+ such Collectives have been hosted across India, which includes tier 1 and tier 2 cities. Some of the cities where the Etsy Collective has travelled to - Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Kolkata, Puducherry, Jammu, Chennai, Kochi, Pune, Guwahati, Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, to name a few.

BIG FM and HDFC ERGO General Insurance Launch ‘High Beam – Not Ok Please’ Campaign

BIG FM, one of the largest radio networks in the country, in association with HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company, India’s third-largest non-life insurance provider in the private sector, today announced the kick start of the ‘High Beam - Not OK Please’ campaign. As the flag-bearers of change, the brands have highlighted an issue of the excessive usage of High Beam while driving, which is a huge threat to human lives, becoming the cause of many road accidents in the country.

As per the data published by the ministry of road, transport, and highways, 74% of the vehicles use blinding headlights on highways which are one of the major causes of road accidents. When it comes to road crash deaths, as per the 2017 report, Chennai, Delhi, and Bangalore are the top-3 cities that witnessed maximum accidents while Mumbai is placed on No 7. This is an alarming situation and the campaign tries to sensitize everyone to use High Beam in the right way.

With an endeavor to bring a positive change, the radio network and HDFC ERGO General Insurance have brought forth the fact that High Beams are the cause of many road accidents in the country. As a part of the campaign, BIG FM RJs will initiate conversations by highlighting and engaging with listeners on the causes of increasing road accidents. Further, with highways being the most affected and to personalise the messaging for the listeners, BIG FM will also install photo booths across prominent dhabas across highways in various cities. As soon as the person is ready to get clicked, a bright light will flash on their face while the camera captures the image. This social experiment will mirror the jarring effect of the high beam from the opposite direction on a person’s vision.

Speaking on the campaign, a spokesperson from BIG FM said, “When we hear the term road accident, we associate it with various reasons like speed, drunk driving, mobile phone usage, etc. But, we hardly think that the use of a high beam can cause accidents too. Through this campaign, we want to change this notion and highlight how this issue is turning out to be one of the key reasons for accidents. We, as a responsible brand, have always tried to inspire the masses to take a second look at situations and imbibe a sense of accountability. We appreciate HDFC ERGO General Insurance for coming forward in support of our campaign and driving this message through their platform as well.”

Mr. Mehmood Mansoori, President – Shared Services & Online Business, HDFC ERGO General Insurance said, “We are glad to be associated with BIG FM for the campaign which is the need of the hour, to create awareness on the misuse of High Beam on the roads of our country. Knowingly or unknowingly, we tend to make the mistake of using high beam while driving without thinking of its effects on the driver of a vehicle coming from the opposite end. Through this campaign, we aim to help people understand the hazards of using a high beam.”

In its next phases, BIG FM RJs will engage with listeners to understand their perspective and also speak to local authorities like - RTO, Traffic Management, Driving Experts and Eye Specialists for an in-depth idea on high beam and its harsh effects, if not used correctly. This awareness will be further spread across BIG FM’s vast networks. ‘#HighBeam - Use it Right’ will be a 360-degree campaign which will run across various platforms including On-air, RJ mentions, Buzz on digital, On-ground activations for direct interaction with listeners, etc.

Last-Minute Expert Tips to Crack the GATE 2020 All-India Examination

By Akhand Swaroop Pandit, CEO & Founder, Catalyst Group

With the prestigious All-India examination, Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2020 only a fortnight away, applicants might be already scrolling and shuffling through a variety of preparation methods. But, this will only leave them confused in deciding the best approach. When it comes to last-minute preparations for GATE, starting basic is the deal breaker to get a decent score.  But sometimes even though the candidates are already following their monthly preparation timetable to cover most of what has to be studied and within the allotted time, they are not able to score well. The loophole could lie in trying to mug up all content or stressing at the last minute. Here are some last-minute tips and tricks that will augment your preparation and make you ready for the main day:

* Pay more attention to high-return topics: Considering that subjects like engineering mathematics and general ability carry 30 percent of the total marks and are relatively easier to score in. You could also concentrate on preparing high scoring topics like Theory of Computation, Compiler Design, Digital Logic, Operating System, Databases and Computer Networks, well through online lectures.

* Test your abilities with mock papers: Take up a mock-test series every day before the main exam and attempt it online the same way as the actual exam. This will not only help in adapting to the online pattern of the exam but also enable you in assessing your preparation.  The mock test will let you analyse your weak areas and work on improving them through an exhaustive practice of different types of questions.

* Create your own exam strategy: Based on your attempts of mock test series, you can modify your own exam strategy either by starting to solve the paper from the first question, or simply glancing through the entire test and answering questions from your areas of strength.

* Skip preparing for new topics: This is something every aspirant should avoid. Starting a fresh topic that you have never studied before at this point in time is a bad idea. At this crucial time, you will not be able to build up concepts from new topics. Instead, revise the subjects you are thorough with and get those concepts clear in your head.

* Revise all the formulas: This is the time to brush up all the formulas and practice at least 3-4 questions covering each formula. Make sure you are not mugging them up. Instead, try to get their concepts clear so that you don’t feel stressed during the exam hour. Candidates should also avoid spending a lot of time on just one aspect of the syllabus. Keep switching between multiple topics and if possible, revise them through your notes instead of books or online platforms to save time.

* Do not ignore negative marking: Guesswork and over attempting of questions simply do not go with GATE paper. Negative marking can ruin it all. So attempt and solve those questions that you are absolutely sure of.

* Stay Relax and keep your cool: One day before GATE, stop thinking about it. The idea of accomplishing everything at the 11th hour doesn’t fit in here. Staying up late in the night to study can make you pay a heavy price. So, try to maintain your cool by watching a light-hearted movie on Netflix and sleep on time for good 6-hours. This will help you in attempting the exam with a fresh mind and increase your accuracy, speed, and even the score

GATE isn’t the end of the world. So, instead of losing the state of your mind and mood over it, have faith in yourself and put your best foot forward. Your hard work will get paid off eventually. 

Emirates Honours Distinguished Employees at the 12th Annual Najm Chairman’s Awards

Emirates Group's 26 employees received the organisation’s most prestigious recognition at the Najm Chairman’s Awards held last week. The awards recognise employees whose work and actions are characterised by a strong work ethic, a spirit of innovation, extraordinary acts of bravery and selfless teamwork. 

The winners included Morteza Monfared, an Emirates Customer Services Supervisor. He was boarding passengers for a flight from Dubai to Kochi, when a panic stricken family rushed towards the gate, crying that their child had become unresponsive. Morteza sprang into action, positioned the child on the floor and immediately performed CPR to help the child. By this time, the medical team had arrived on the scene and took over. Morteza’s quick thinking and prompt action resulted in saving the life of the child.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, presented the coveted ‘Najm Chairman’s Award’ to six individual and team achievements at a ceremony that took place at Emirates Group Headquarters today. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of colleagues, as well as friends and families of the honourees, and streamed live to thousands of employees around the world. The winners also received a monetary award for their contributions.

Applauding the exceptional employees on their wins, HH Sheikh Ahmed said: “Our people are our greatest asset, and the Najm Chairman’s Awards honourees are a perfect example of how Emirates Group employees live the values of our organisation, and with their powerful passion and initiative help drive our business and reputational momentum forward. We are grateful for the example they set everyday in helping to make a difference for customers, for their fellow colleagues and for our businesses around the world through their dedication and commitment to excellence. Today, we celebrate their achievements and contributions which truly embody the Emirates Group’s can-do spirit.”

Najm, which means ‘star’ in Arabic, has been the Group’s employee recognition and reward programme since 2007. The Najm programme has different award tiers which recognises employees all year round for their excellence, commitment and innovation, and going above and beyond their roles to make a difference. This year, the Emirates Group recognised over 14,000 employee achievements through the programme.

The ‘Najm Chairman’s Award’ is the highest accolade at the Emirates Group, and nominated employees and teams undergo a rigorous process which is vetted and screened by department heads and senior management. Since 2008, 73 Najm Chairman’s awards have been given out to employees across different departments at the Emirates Group.

Phenomenal Acts and Exceptional Initiatives
The Najm Chairman’s Award 2019/2020 winners were honoured across a range of extraordinary achievements - saving lives, dedicating their time to create innovative solutions for the business and operation, overcoming overwhelming challenges through teamwork, and delivering service excellence.

Going beyond the call of duty for a sick customer

Mohammed Imamuddin was doing his mailing rounds when he heard a colleague from Emergency Response Planning call out to him urgently. An elderly passenger, who was in transit to Dhaka, had just collapsed from a heart attack, and the colleague was attending to him. The passenger and his wife could only speak their own native Bangla. Mohammed immediately rushed to assist as a translator for the passenger and emergency services. However, his assistance to the sick passenger did not end there. Mohammed also used his personal time to visit the passenger at over the next 10 days of his recovery in Dubai. He helped to translate and communicate the passenger’s requests to the travel agency in Dhaka as well as other government agencies. He contacted the passenger’s family, and kept them updated on the passenger’s condition. Mohammed even took the time to prepare homemade Bangla dishes for the passenger. Mohammed’s generosity and care for this passenger went above and beyond his work responsibilities.

Selfless teamwork results in aircraft recovery in harsh conditions

Omar Al-Samarrai, Mook Park, Giovanni Scalsi Riquelme and Andre Weidlich were recognised for the recovery work they led after an emergency diversion to Goose Bay Airport Newfoundland, Canada. Challenges mounted as the airport lacked the resources and facilities to cope with the large aircraft and volume of customers onboard. However, this did not deter the team who effectively managed the situation, and took care of customers. Buses were arranged to transport groups of passengers to the terminal and updates communicated on an ongoing basis until the replacement aircraft arrived. Despite several obstacles along the way, the flight deck and cabin crew’s teamwork was instrumental in delivering outstanding airmanship and decision making to ensure the comfort and safety of passengers.

Developing The Hub Monitor

To improve on-time aircraft turnarounds at the Dubai hub, a group of team members from Emirates Engineering, IT, Operations Research & Effectiveness, dnata Airport Operations, Flight Operations and Operations Control collaborated and worked with agility and tenacity to deliver an application that tracked turnaround activities in real time, proactively identifying causes for potential delays, which provided significant benefits to the airline’s operation and saved the company millions of dirhams.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Facilitates Skill Training to Trainers from Government Training Centres

 

In line with its consistent efforts to contribute to the skill development mission of India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. today concluded a training to the Principals and Instructors of Government Tool Room and Training Centers (GT & TC), Government of Karnataka. The three-day Train-the-Trainer (T-3) program “Kaushalya” was organized at its factory premises from 29th-31st January 2020 which aimed at developing competitive spirit among the Principals so that they prepare their students for the World Skills Contest.

The occasion was graced by Dr. S. Selvakumar, IAS, Secretary, Department of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, Government of Karnataka, Mr. H. Raghavendra, IRPS, Managing Director of GT & TC and Karnataka Vocational Training and Skill Development Corporation (KVTSDC), Government of Karnataka, Mr. G. Shankara, Associate Vice President, Human Resources and Services Group of Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Mr. Roshan R, Principal of Toyota Technical Training Institute.

During the training, the instructors were provided with inputs on the Toyota Way of People Development, principles of lean manufacturing and a visit to the state-of-art car manufacturing plant in Bidadi. Instructors also got a chance to observe the functioning of the Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI), a unit certified by the Japan India Institute for Manufacturing (JIM). Besides, skill contests for the participants gave them hands-on-experience on the nuances of developing skills among youth with a competitive spirit.

In addition, GT & TC has also partnered with Toyota to further train their students in preparing them for the State Level Skill Contest, which is a qualifying contest for participating in the National Level Skill Contest and World Skills Contest. This five-day residential training will focus on developing knowledge, technical skills, competitive spirit and body and mind of the students. Training to students will be imparted during February 2020 by certified trainers of Toyota Kirloskar Motor.

Commenting on this unique initiative, Dr. S. Selvakumar, IAS, Secretary, Department of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, Government of Karnataka said, “Through Information, Education and Communication activities, Government of Karnataka has been able to mobilize more than 10,000 youth to participate in the qualifying process for the World Skills Contest. The role of Principals and Faculty is key for identifying and harnessing unique and hidden talent among the youth. We are thankful to Toyota Kirloskar Motor for facilitating such skill development programs for our trainers who would further play a vital role in enhancing the employability potential of the future workforce. Through these endeavors, our aim is to make Karnataka Skill Capital of the World”.

Sharing his thoughts on the collaboration, Mr. G. Shankara, Associate Vice President, Human Resources and Services Group said “Due to industry-institute gap, there is dearth for skilled youth. Toyota has established model training institute like Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI), through which we develop knowledge, skill and attitude of the youth with On-the-Job Development exposure in the automobile industry. We would like to share our know-how of people development to the entire country, thereby contribute to the society and achieve our vision of Grow India and Grow With India.  It is our commitment to work together with Government and contribute to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’. We are honored to facilitate skill development training to the Principals and Instructors of Government Tool Room and Training Centers from across the State, who will further impart industry relevant training to the youths to secure a better livelihood. Through this approach, we can ensure that larger number of youth are trained with employable skills and ensure sustenance in the skilling ecosystem”.

Other Skill Development Initiatives by Toyota

Over the years, Toyota has undertaken several holistic skill initiatives for the development of skilled manpower that ensures a secure and steady flow of qualified human resources not only for the company but also for the industry as a whole. Toyota’s Vision is to “Create a Learning Organization” by developing competitive human resources among all stakeholders and thereby contributing towards business sustainability. Besides TTTI, Toyota have curated some dedicated initiatives to nurture a contingent workforce for all their stakeholders:

Toyota Technical Education Program (T-TEP):

Launched in India in 2006, the Toyota Technical Education Program (T-TEP) is a part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in line with the skill enhancement projects that TKM has been undertaking to bridge the skill gap faced by the Indian automotive industry. T-TEPs are established as a result of partnerships with industrial and technical training institutes across India to impart automotive trainings – General Repair, Automotive Body Repair and Automotive Paint Repair, thus, developing a highly-skilled technical workforce with bright career opportunities in the industry.  With this program, TKM has been able to enhance the skill sets and employability of ITI students exposing students to the latest technology in automotive repair and on-the-job training at nearby Toyota Dealerships. Aligned with Government of India’s ‘Skill India Mission’, under Toyota Technical Education Program Toyota has associated with 49 ITI/Diploma institutes across 17 states in India benefitting 8000 students till date. Additionally, Toyota is also making dealers capable in providing short term skill-oriented training program utilizing 13 Dealer Centralized Training Centre [DCTC] across India benefitting over 2000 number of students across India.

Toyota’s Gurukul (Skill Development Centre)

Focuses on developing the skills of new entrants to the organization. There are three levels of training – Fundamental Skill, Element Work and Standardized Work training. Micro-level training helps the employees to develop skills to manufacture world-class cars.

To develop skill culture among its employees, Gurukul organizes “Skill Olympics” at Company-level. Gurukul trained employees also take part in Skill Contest held at Asia Pacific level and Global level. TKM has secured second position in terms of skill performance in the Asia Pacific region among Toyota affiliates. Gurukul further trains the supplier and dealers in the stakeholder value chain in terms of skill development and human resources development.

Russian Helicopters to Present its Civilian Line at Defexpo 2020 in Lucknow from Feb 5-9, 2020

Russian Helicopters Holding Company (part of Rostec State Corporation) will exhibit a line of its latest civilian helicopters at the Defexpo international exhibition to be held in the Indian city of Lucknow from February 5 to 9.

The light multipurpose Ansat helicopter, as well as heavy Mi-171A2 and Mi-38, will be available to the show guests and participants for viewing at the Russian Helicopters stand. In addition, the holding company experts will present an after-sales service system for Russian-made helicopters to potential customers.

"India is one of the largest operators of Russian-made rotorcraft, and Defexpo provides an excellent opportunity to discuss further steps in developing our cooperation. Besides the project aimed at localizing the Ka-226T helicopter production, such issues as the supply of new civilian helicopters and maintenance and repair of previously delivered rotorcraft are becoming increasingly important. Today, the fleet of Russian and Soviet-made helicopters in India exceeds 400 units," said Igor Chechikov, head of the Russian Helicopters delegation, Deputy Director General of the Russian Helicopters Holding Company for Aftersales Service.

The light multipurpose Ansat helicopter is equipped with two engines and can be used for passenger transportation, cargo delivery, environmental monitoring and as an ambulance aircraft. Ansat has successfully passed high-altitude tests, which proved that it is suitable for use in mountainous terrain at up to 3,500 meters of altitude, as well as climatic tests, which confirmed its operability in a temperature range between -45° and +50° С.

Mi-171A2 is the newest multipurpose heavy class helicopter which combines the unparalleled experience of operating Mi-8/17 type helicopters and cutting-edge technical solutions. The rotorcraft is equipped with new engines with a digital control system, a high-performance carrier system featuring composite blades and an improved aerodynamic layout.

The heavy multipurpose Mi-38 helicopter can take on board up to 30 passengers, or up to 12 passengers in a VIP cabin configuration. The flight range of the new helicopter is up to 880 kilometers. Mi-38, whose maximum takeoff weight is 15.6 tonnes, can carry up to 5 tonnes of payload on board or on an external sling.