Welfare board to train construction workers

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Construction Workers Welfare Board is all set to launch short-term courses for its registered members to enhance their skill sets.

Under the upskilling programme, a total of 5,000 members would be trained in a year to equip them to meet the demands of the construction industry. The welfare board would fund Rs 4.74 crore for the programme per annum.

The state labour department would turn the under-utilised dormitory at Thaiyur B Village in Kancheepuram district into the Tamil Nadu Academy of Construction (TAC) to offer these tailor-made short-term courses.

“We are in the process of developing a syllabus for three- and six-month courses. The syllabus will be prepared by a team of an expert panel. We are planning to launch the programmes within three months,” Chairman of the welfare board Pon Kumar told DT Next.

The objective of the programme is to enhance the skills of construction labourers, besides attracting unemployed youth to explore livelihood opportunities in the booming construction industry sector in the state. They would be trained on new methods and technologies to keep pace with the changing dynamics of the sector and even help them to find jobs in foreign countries in the construction sectors. “It will also attract unemployed youths to get free training on construction work industry-allied vocations such as plumbing and electrical to fill the gap between demand and supply,” he said.