October 2025 | 790 words | 3-minute read
India’s cities are in a constant state of renewal, with a boom in housing redevelopment and the construction of infrastructure. Because of the sheer scale of this activity, construction and infrastructure development companies need to have access to a steady workforce to manage various tasks. The construction industry is poised for unprecedented growth and modernization.
While labourers and skilled workers are critical to the business, most construction firms invest very little time, energy or resources in enhancing their skills or improving their long-term prospects. The seasonal nature of the work and the low-qualification barriers means that companies never have a problem finding skilled workers to work at construction sites. Retaining the workers and building up their careers while enhancing productivity—now that’s another story.
Tata Projects is one of the few companies that stands out for its willingness to address the issue of the shortage of skilled labour in the construction industry. The company works with about 62,000 frontline workforce (employed through subcontractors) working across 100 active projects. In doing so, it demonstrates a deep commitment to inclusive growth, capability building and long-term sectoral transformation.
Ritesh Pratap Singh, Chief Human Resources Officer, Tata Projects, says, “India’s construction sector employs around 7 crore, making it one of the largest employment generators in the country. However, only 20% of this workforce is considered skilled, highlighting a significant gap in capability development. Within the sector, just 13% of the workforce is engaged in infrastructure construction, and among them, the proportion of skilled workers remains similarly low. This underscores the urgent need for targeted skilling initiatives, especially in infrastructure projects that demand higher technical proficiency.”
Modern currency
Skills are the currency of the modern world. They enable a workforce to strengthen their own capabilities in order to meet the challenges of the future. They are particularly critical to the development of workers in the construction business, where a large number lack basic education.
Tata Projects has partnered with skill development bodies such as the Construction Skill Development Council of India (CSDCI), Hydrocarbon Sector Skill Council (HSSC) and Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC). The partnership with CIDC has led to the creation of two programmes, Nirmaan Nayak and Skill Shakti.
These are strategically designed upskilling programmes aimed at addressing the shortage of skilled labour in the construction sector.
Tata Projects’ Nirmaan Nayak programme aims to transform skilled workers, who have completed education at least up to the 12th grade, into qualified field engineers through a comprehensive three-year Work Integrated Training model. The programme blends hands-on site experience with structured classroom learning. It bridges the gap to academic opportunities for those who lack financial support.
The programme, supported by certification from CIDC and Kalinga University, allows candidates to be certified after every year. Candidates receive a Diploma after Year 1, an Advanced Diploma after Year 2, and a Degree at the end of the final year. Tata Projects sponsors the course fee fully.
Empowering the frontline workforce
Tata Projects’ Skill Shakti caters to unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers, comprising nearly 50 percent of the workforce, through a focused five-week on-the-job training model. The programme offers training across key trades like masonry, carpentry, bar-bending and electrical work.
Workers feel encouraged on seeing the increase in their employability and income. The company benefits through enhanced project implementation and workforce engagement, paving the way for loyalty and productivity.
Certified master trainers are deployed at sites to drive the initiatives. Mr Singh says, “These training sessions cover trades like assistant shuttering carpenter, assistant mason, manual metal arc welder, assistant bar bender, steel fixer, and assistant electrician, and enable workers to upskill themselves from helpers to the semi-skilled category.”
Stepping up
Upskilling opens up a world of opportunities for the workers. Mr Singh says, “Those workers who have undergone the Skill Shakti training programme can be onboarded to new projects without going through any skill test.”
Certified participants receive a Skill Card from Tata Projects, which serves as a formal recognition of their training and informs them about possible job opportunities across Tata Project locations nationwide.
In FY 2024-2025 the Skill Shakti programme was rolled out at 16 Tata Projects project sites across different businesses with a target of augmenting a workforce of 6100. Nirmaan Nayak is running with 151 candidates enrolled in the first batch and 322 candidates enrolled in the second batch.
By investing in skill-building initiatives like Nirmaan Nayak and Skill Shakti, Tata Projects is not just creating jobs—it is building careers, transforming lives, and shaping a more inclusive and future-ready infrastructure ecosystem for India.
—Cynthia Rodrigues
