How technical training and skill development prepares youth for long-term employability

Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) has been leading technical training for the last six decades. On its journey to provide skilled human resources to the industry, it has taken many initiatives to bridge the industry-academia skill gap. It is doing great in bringing the purpose and passion of a student together. It is  inculcating values, tradition and discipline especially among today’s youth. 

To know more about the values that NTTF delivers, Team NSN was privileged to connect with Mr Christopher K Raj, Director, NTTF whose journey is the real life proof of the recognition of NTTF’s training. 

In this Skill Talk, Mr Christopher K Raj shares his experience and journey and tells us about the initiatives that are being taken by NTTF to make the students industry ready. Here is an excerpt from the interview.

To watch the interview, please visit our YouTube chanel:

Q. How has NTTF managed 100 % placement even during the pandemic?

A: Like any other year, we had a very good placement this year as well. The placement in Tool Making is 100 % while in other trades it is 95%. Industries look for people who are really employable with all the right skill set. The training that we provide at NTTF makes our students industry ready. They don’t feel out of the place when they go out and join industries. They could relate to all the processes in the industry. They have the robust knowledge of how industry works. It gives them confidence and courage which are the qualities every employer seeks in the employee. Our courses are industry aligned and we train our students as per the industry demand which is the primary reason behind our great placement record. 

Q. For how long have you been associated with NTTF, please share important milestones in your journey?

A: I am an NTTF alumni and completed my course in Tool Making in 1986. The four years that I spent in NTTF were the most important years in my life. The training is well scheduled and very rigorous.  It inculcated values, traditions and discipline in my life. After the completion of my course I joined NTTF electronics centre where they were making special purpose testing machines. I worked there for four years as a part of the development team where we made many machines. One of them was a high speed printed circuit board drilling machine. I could make the machine starting from its drawing, printing and installing it. This is the kind of confidence that NTTF gives its students. My machine was spotted by a potential employer at an exhibition and I got a job offer. I joined the company and worked there for a few years before shifting to an MNC. I worked in the MNC for 21 years. I got very good exposure as the recognition in the company was really good. I was handling many responsibilities and never felt overwhelmed because of the quality training by NTTF. Then I worked in a company as a CEO for three years and in a Swiss company as a MD for the next three years. 

I always wanted to work towards making people employable and creating employment for them. So, when I got an offer from NTTF, I was more than happy to take up the position and that’s how I started working in NTTF.  It was a beautiful journey so far and my journey is a real life proof of the recognition of NTTF’s training. 

NTTF’s training builds the required confidence in students. We have included things starting from fibers, TQM, TPM, and lean manufacturing. We make them familiar with industry environments and things like help and safety environments, operation management, supply chain management, building relationships as a part of our curriculum. 

Q. What are the skills that are needed in today’s time and how NTTF is coping with it?

A: Of course things are changing and the skills that are needed will also change. However, the basics haven’t changed. To complement the basics, there should be some advanced skills included in the curriculum. So, we are redefining our diploma courses by adding some advanced skills in our syllabus. For example, we renamed our Tool Making Diploma course to Diploma in Tool Engineering and Digital Manufacturing after adding. We are changing the curriculum and the reason is that the basics are required however that alone is not enough any more. The students need to have knowledge of digital manufacturing as well. 

In the future, the job titles are going to be different. Some of the job roles that are going to be in-demand are Additive Manufacturing Engineer, Cyber Security Engineer, Digital Manufacturing Engineer, Predictor Maintenance Engineer among others. We are constantly working to improve our syllabus by reworking them to meet the future demand and to align our courses to the industry needs.

Q. Any other points you wish to mention about NTTF ?

A: There are some aspects that are crucial for the future. So, we are bringing those aspects in all our diploma courses by modifying the course syllabus. We are launching some advanced courses and few of them are already launched- Advanced Course in Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Courses in Cyber Security and Data Analysis. We take industry feedback along with our alumni feedback for the improvement of our courses. We are planning to launch Multi Entry and Exit courses to bring flexibility in learning. 

Also, we have shifted our training to online because of the pandemic. The theory part is being covered through online classes. However, the problem is with practical and hands-on training. We are looking to build virtual labs to complete a part of the practical training. 

Our short term courses will be really beneficial for not only students but for professionals as well. nttf has got great values and it builds the much required confidence in the student to make them future ready.

Also read: How R. D. Tata NTTF Technical Education Centre (RNTC) is making students future-ready  https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/how-r-d-tata-nttf-technical-education-centre-rntc-is-making-students-future-ready/