Titan Industries Limited (TIL) today announced a tie-up with Sankara Nethralaya for a technical collaboration for training optical store personnel for Titan Eye+, the optical division of TIL.

Technical experts from Titan Eye+ and Sankara Nethralaya will together design the exclusive training program for the specific requirements of Titan Eye+.

Titan Industries is setting-up a full-fledged, state-of-the-art training centre for both theory and practical training at Hosur. Apart from training delivered at this centre, training will also be delivered at Sankara Nethralaya.

The training programs, which will be duration of 6 to 12 weeks, will commence from February 1, 2008. The centre will have four batches annually producing approximately 700 trained and certified personnel.

Bhaskar Bhat, managing director, Titan Industries, noted that like any industry which is growing at a phenomenal rate, the eyecare industry has been facing acute shortage of personnel. "The immediate impact of this tie-up will be to give Titan Eye+ a high quality source of skilled manpower, which is required for our rapid expansion," he said.

But a larger and indirect impact of the collaboration in the long term would be to increase the quality levels of optical personnel across the industry.

The Titan Eye+ chain of optical stores provides zero error testing and eye-glass frames. It is now aiming aim to produce high quality, skilled personnel like optometrists, style consultants and lab technicians. Dr S S Badrinath, chairman emeritus, Sankara Nethralaya, said, "India has one of the lowest ratio of skilled medical personnel to the total population. A lot has to be done from all concerned to increase this ratio and the involvement of corporates is very critical."

TIL is a joint venture between the Tata Group and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (Tidco) and commenced operations in 1987 under the name Titan Watches Limited. In 1994, Titan Industries diversified into jewellery and more recently into prescription eyewear with Titan Eye+.

TIL's watch division has a domestic market share of over 70 per cent of the organised market. Titan Industries reported revenues of Rs 2,136 crore in 2006-07.