NAC: Skilling Construction Workforce With Industry-Driven Practices

A shortage occurs when the quantity demanded is greater than the quantity supplied at the market price. There are three main causes of shortage: increase in demand, decrease in supply, and government intervention. The shortage of skilled workers can lead to project delays, increased construction costs, and penalties for contractors. Rushed projects due to a lack of labor can compromise the quality and safety of construction work. When employers fail to hire the talent they need, due to shortage of qualified applicants, they face a labour shortage within that area. To them I would advise: Expand the search. If you can't find the right people, it's possible you're not looking in the right places. Consider taking on apprentices. Rethink the upskilling workforce and focus on staff retention.


The governance committees provide strategic guidance on the business strategy, type of training, and the number of persons to be trained on an annual basis. Meetings of the Executive and Audit committees are convened every quarterly. These committees carry out critical review of various programs, achievements, performance progress reports presented by the Director General. EC and AC have passed resolutions expressing satisfaction on the performance of the Academy in the past two years.

NAC, as a premier academy for skill development in the construction sector, follows best practices aligned with national skill development frameworks, policies and industry needs. Practices followed at NAC Telangana are:

• Industry-Relevant Curriculum: Developing skill development programs aligned with the needs of the construction industry, focusing on both technical skills, life skills and soft skills. In addition to NSDC curriculum, we add modules related to latest trends.
• Trainer Quality: Ensuring trainers are experienced professionals with expertise in their respective fields, capable of delivering high-quality training programs with proper continuous training (Training Trainer, TOT) and certification.
• Industry Connections: NAC executive, governing board and management staff with industry experience often have extensive networks and connections within the construction sector. Leveraging these connections for facilitating partnerships with industry stakeholders, including companies, associations, and regulatory bodies, is leading to enhanced opportunities for internships, apprenticeships, and job placements for NAC trainees.
• Industry Expertise: NAC engages guest faculties and management staff with hands-on experience in the construction industry, bringing valuable insights, knowledge, and understanding of industry practices and trends. This expertise can inform curriculum development, training methodologies, and overall strategic direction of NAC.

NAC performance improvement strategy is summarized below:

• Evaluation of feedback received from trainees, sponsor organizations on the weaknesses
• Quality team member attends the class room during training class or by watching recordings through cameras installed in the class rooms
• Identification of weak areas of trainer in training
• Inform trainer about his weak areas and suggest performance improvement
• Timelines are set for improvement
• NAC core group of trainers related to the subject/trade supports the trainer in closing the knowledge gaps
• Continuous observation and follow up till performance reaches the expected levels
• Periodically monitor training requirements and be updated with occupational levels of competency of the technicians who will be deployed in the domestic construction industry
• Provide training in theory, practical, and on the job training during the course duration with a bias towards worksite experience and apprenticeship, so as to develop skills by repetition of activities. NAC faculty conducts trade tests for certifying/validating the levels of skills on a regular basis during the training
• Train the candidate on par with industry construction standards of skill, workmanship and productivity to prepare for the international market
• Prepare the trainees as future trainers/teachers to shoulder responsibilities of qualified instructors.

Challenges: The capacity building/ skill development training domain in the construction industry is facing some challenges even though 93% of human resources workers are not formally skilled.

Employers disinterest in capacity building training: Approximately 45 million human resources are employed at various levels in the construction industry. Almost 93% of them, primarily technicians, are without any formal skill training and certification. The Indian construction industry is suffering from low skill levels. Engineers / Managers seldom participate in capacity building training due to their engagement in projects and need to continuously chase the target completion time. The employer as well as employees are responsible for this state of affairs. Employers are unwilling to invest in training and pay higher salaries to the skilled workers.

Mobilization of youth for construction sector jobs: Construction sector provides employment to nearly 45 million people across India. The sector is maintaining a growth rate of 7-8% and there is a huge incremental need for inducting nearly 50 lakh new workers every year to sustain the growth. Construction sector jobs are mostly in the field/outdoors and demand physical work. The target group for these jobs are marginally educated, school/college dropouts, unemployed youth from poor and marginalized sections of society. NAC is facing the main challenge of motivating the unemployed youth to undergo skill development training to join the new ranks of construction workers as the youth do not consider these jobs glamorous. Besides, Skill India Mission has announced training for unemployed youth in many glamorous sectors such as Retail, Hospitality, and Pharmacy free of cost; this is diverting the youth to go for these softer and so-called white collar jobs.


However, NAC is gearing up to overcome this challenge through its committed mobilization teams, which work relentlessly in mobilizing unemployed youth for different types of skill development training programs through job fairs/rozgar melas, participating in meetings held by village development officers, keeping in touch with NGOs, advertising in print and electronic media etc. Mobilization is addressed by:

• Identifying the target candidates for training based on eligibility criteria i.e. education, economic status, aptitude etc.
• Proper awareness campaigns to target groups with clear outcomes/success stories etc. to motivate candidates to enroll for training.
• Visiting and camping in villages, tribal hamlets, urban slums to convince the parents of candidates through counseling.
• Interactions with previously trained and employed candidates as role models in the mobilization camps.

"During the past 10 years we could successfully place 1 lakh plus youth who underwent trainings at nac in different construction trades and civil engineering graduates courses with 2 lakh to 4 lakh packages to start with their livelihood opportunities initially."

ShantiSree, Director, Placements, NAC

Placements by NAC: NAC is known for its cent percent employment opportunities anyone who undergoes training at NAC, from 8th-grade candidates taking up electrician courses to civil engineering graduates enrolled in postgraduate programs and finishing school programs. NAC conducts 20% theory and 80% practicals for any program, as placement is paramount for all programmes conducted at NAC. NAC is associated with over 500 builders, contractors, and construction companies, ranging from TATA to AFCONS and A1 contractor to class 3 contractors, where all compete to recruit NAC-trained candidates for the specific skills acquired during training.


Retention in jobs: There is huge demand from the industry to employ skilled workers in their projects. With an efficient placement team in place, facilitating placement for NAC trained and certified youth in various job roles is never a problem for our academy. However, NAC faces a major challenge in retention of the youth in the jobs provided to them. While highly talented youth tend to shift jobs too often, the mediocre workers tend to return to their homes due to minor problems related to work or accommodation.