The rubber and plastics industry is expected to grow significantly in the current fiscal year. Deepmala Moorjani, Senior Manager - Industry Connect, Rubber, Chemical & Petrochemical Skill Development Council (RCPSDC), stated at the recently concluded Skill Meet in Chennai that there are over 4,500 vacancies for apprenticeship and placement in the two sectors.
Tamil Nadu has nearly 6,000 rubber and plastic manufacturing industries. According to Annama Jacob, Regional Manager - South, RCPSDC, several large players in the state, including MRF, Ceat Tyre, Apollo Tyres, Sundaram Industries, Minda, JBM Auto, and Emerald Tyres, are interested in hiring skilled labour.
"The Skill Meet was created as a platform for bringing a diverse range of industries into the skilling ecosystem." A large portion of industries, particularly MSMEs, are still unaware of the advantages of a skilled workforce. "The Skill Meet serves as a bridge to discuss the roadmap for skilled manpower, including the Government schemes available and understanding the skill-based requirements of industries," said Vinod Patkotwar, Chairman of the RCPSDC.
For the industry professionals in attendance, the National Skill Development Corporation gave a presentation on the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme.
RCPSDC has been promoting NAPS among job seekers as well as manufacturing industries. Over 15,000 apprentices have already registered for various rubber and plastic job roles with leading manufacturing industries. "This number is expected to double this year as approximately 1,000 industries in the two sectors have registered with RCPSDC," said Pangkhuri Borgohain, head of operations, Optional Trades at NSDC.
Satish Pawar, Director, YuvaShakti Foundation (YSF), elaborated on the Third-Party Aggregator (TPA) functionality to support the entire operation of the NAPS online portal, as well as other operational support that TPAs may provide for industry convenience.
Representatives from 50 industries in the rubber, chemical, and petrochemical sectors attended the Chennai Skill Meet. RCPSDC also launched its placement portal for companies in the rubber, chemicals and plastics sectors.
