We are seeing strong interest from customers who would like to engage with certified and trained operators for their machines.

– Deepak Shetty

CEO & Managing Director, JCB India

What is your view on the role of skill development/operator training in CE operations and maintenance?

India is a significant market for Construction Equipment. Each year 50 – 70,000 Construction Machinery is sold in the country. Each of these machines requires Operators for their efficient working. Moreover, with the Government’s focus on building infrastructure, Construction equipment is today used round-the-clock to ensure the timely completion of projects. It is therefore critical that the operators who operate these machines are skilled and trained to ensure maximum output and safety of these machines on the worksite.

The Infrastructure Equipment Skill Council (IESC) is the industry’s sector skill Council for this trade. The IESC is the nodal agency within our industry for operator training and is entrusted with the task of creating the interface between the industry and the government. The member companies of IESC work together for the improvement of the skilling in the Construction Equipment Sector. The issue of productivity and safety is of critical importance and hence the industry must work together to get the global best practices in India.

What is the current scenario of availability of skilled/certified equipment operators in India?

As mentioned earlier, 50-70,000 Construction machinery is sold in the country each year, and Each of these machines requires Operators for their efficient working.With the National Focus on skilling, we are seeing strong interest from customers who would like to engage with certified and trained operators for their machines.

According to you, how are the skill development initiatives progressing in Indian CE industry? What are the challenges faced?

The primary issue in providing training is that currently, no legislation mandates an operator to be trained on the machinery while operating it. A lot of training takes place on the job, which might not be the best solution. At JCB we have always stressed the importance of professional training while operating machinery.

Telescopic Handlers, Access Platforms, Skid Steer Loaders and Mini Excavators are now becoming popular on Indian worksites. Therefore, there exists an opportunity for us to work together and create training courses for newer equipment being inducted into the sector.

The digital landscape due to the introduction of IoT, Machine Learning and applications is also changing the way the industry is developing rapidly. At JCB we have almost 200,000 connected machines that give real-time information about the Service, Operations and Security of the machines. This data is available to the Operators, the Customers, the Dealers and JCB. Operators must use these digital aids for their working including for daily maintenance and checks for their machines. This is beneficial in the overall life cycle of the machines. Harnessing the power of digital will also become critical as we go along.

What are the steps needed to bridge the gap of demand-availability of skilled operators?

We feel that training should be mandatory for all operators that operate construction equipment. This is essential for ensuring that equipment is used safely and productively.

The industry also must keep updating the training on various new product categories, as and when they get launched. Today a variety of construction equipment is being introduced into India. Global best practices are being very hearteningly replicated and we are seeing an influx of technologies and products.

Explain us about your company’s initiatives in operator training and skill developments.

JCB introduced the iconic backhoe loader way back in 1979 and this machine has since revolutionised the way construction activity has been done in the country. Virtually every job site today has a JCB Backhoe Loader working tirelessly to build infrastructure. Even though the concept of the Backhoe Loader is now very well accepted in India there is always scope for further skilling and training of operators. This is essential because, through continual innovation, the machines undergo various improvements and changes in technology regularly. It is best to always remain updated about the product.

Skilling significantly helps in making customers more aware in promoting better productivity and safety on the worksite. Trained operators handle the machine professionally as compared with untrained operators, who lack in-depth knowledge of machine operations. JCB has ensured that its machines come with many features for better efficiency and productivity of its machines. These features are further enhanced from time to time and hence it is essential that operators can use these to the fullest.

With the National Focus on skilling, we are seeing strong interest from customers who would like to engage with certified and trained operators for their machines. In addition to enrolling in JCB’s operator training schools, which we have pioneered, if the customer desires, we can also offer on the site training to ensure that learning takes place on the actual site condition.

JCB has also supported the creation of diversity in this area. Very recently through one of our Operator Training Centres in Noida, the company was the first to have an all-women batch of trainees. Through the training imparted at this centre, they are now independent machine operators and are making their careers in a traditionally male-dominated area.

JCB has pioneered the setting up of Operator Training Centres for its products in India. To date, more than 30,000 operators have been trained on how to use these machines safely and productively. Over 18 such training centres are today spread across India and Nepal.

These training centres offer certified courses that have been designed to make operators well versed with the operations of the machine and basic maintenance. The training program is a blend of practical and classroom training. These facilities are run professionally through certified training partners. The course curriculum is vetted by the company to ensure a world-class level of training for operators.

The operator training centres have qualified trainers and access to machines for practical training and classrooms for theory classes and are today extremely popular in the areas of their operation. The training program lasts for one month after the completion of which, candidates are given a training certificate. JCB is also now introducing simulators to further enhance the reach of training. We offer knowledge sharing during operator meets, train operators through JCB trained demonstrators on their site and conduct refresher RPL & RPL4 (NSDC approved) courses.

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