Times Journal of Construction and Design presents extracts from a recent report by IEMR on creating human capital for the Indian power sector

India is expected to maintain robust economic growth rate of over 8 per cent in the coming decade. This implies substantial economic development, which raises the challenge of adding the infrastructure necessary to enable this development. India has ambitious plans of adding over 180,000 MW of generation capacity as well as associated power systems in the Eleventh and Twelfth plans, more than the cumulative capacity addition achieved till date. With such an ambitious target, the power sector requires augmentation of capacity across the value chain, including equipment manufacturing, fuel resources, construction, project management, and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) resources.



While large-scale investments have been planned and a large number of projects launched, the lack of high-quality human resources is becoming a key constraint. It is important for the government, regulators and the industry to invest in training high-quality resources for the long-term sustainable growth of the sector. Institute of Energy Management and Research (IEMR) in its report ‘Human Capital Challenges in the Indian Power Sector’ addresses the key human resource challenges in the power sector today and lays out strategies for attracting fresh talent, retaining existing manpower and building capacity for training and development.

The total manpower in the power sector at the end of the Tenth plan was approximately 9.5 lakh, according to the Planning Commission’s Working Group on Power for the Eleventh Plan. Even in a scenario where employee productivity is projected to increase, leading to a decreasing man/MW ratio, it is estimated that over five lakh technical workers and over 1.5 lakh nontechnical workers need to be inducted into the power sector in the Eleventh and Twelfth plan periods. In addition to the technical manpower, thousands of highly-skilled managers will be required in areas such as project management, planning, project finance, monitoring and review. Further, with increasing focus on renewable energy resources, there is an opportunity to productively engage millions of people to participate in harnessing hydro, biomass and biofuels, solar and wind resources— provided adequate training infrastructure is available. Other areas, such as energy efficiency, demand-side management, power trading, carbon credits, etc. also require manpower with specialised training.

One of the key bottlenecks in ensuring adequate manpower for the sector is the lack of training infrastructure. While the infrastructure for thermal induction is sufficient, it is grossly inadequate for hydro and power system induction. Further, infrastructure for refresher training required to update skills and knowledge is just 3 per cent of the required capacity—a key reason for inadequate availability of manpower with the right skills and competencies. Most importantly, there is huge deficit in infrastructure for managerial training, which currently caters to only 4 per cent of the requirements. This has a significant impact on the decision-making capabilities, efficiency and effectiveness of organisations. At a time when the sector is undergoing rapid growth amidst a changing environment, a lack of managerial competencies would hamper the ability of organisations to adapt and grow. In such a scenario, it is important that managerial talent is oriented towards the commercial, social and environmental aspects of the industry.

Development Strategies
The strategies outlined for creating human capital for the power sector include the following:

􀁘 Attract new talent by showcasing opportunity, improving the work environment and providing growth opportunities

􀁘 Transform functional skill development programs into comprehensive all-round development programs by incorporating behavioural and attitudinal re-orientation while creating appreciation for the commercial aspects of business.

􀁘 Utilise Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and other vocational skill development centres to provide a steady stream of manpower for construction and operation of projects

􀁘 Standardisation of curriculum and develop certification standards for skilled and semiskilled roles and allow private and public training institutions to provide employmentoriented courses

􀁘 Expand existing training facilities and create new infrastructure through incentives and encourage independent service providers

􀁘 Ensure proper utilisation of training funds through direct reimbursements

􀁘 Introduce electives at graduate engineering programs and specialised programmes at the post-graduate level

􀁘 Create awareness about energy efficiency among all stakeholders and incorporate mandatory training for personnel involved in energy-intensive processes

For the development of the Indian power sector, it is important that all the stakeholders recognise the importance of developing human capital and invest in it.