Jamshedpur, Dec. 15: Nuvoco Vistas Corp. Ltd., a leading building materials company in India, has joined hands with Institution of Engineers India, Jamshedpur to equip women with masonry skills. This masonry skills training programme, ‘Nirmaan Bahini’, was kick-started in Nuvoco’s Jojobera Cement Plant (JCP), as part of its Saksham Bharat CSR pillar through NIDHEE, a non-profit organisation.
‘Nirmaan Bahini’ is a masonry training programme exclusively for women as it seeks to offer equal opportunity at employment irrespective of gender. The project aims at transforming the lives of women and who have the potential to play a pivotal role in the construction industry. Through this programme, women, too, can enhance their earning capacity, improve overall quality of their lives, and gain financial independence.
The first batch of the 45-day training programme comprised 21 women hailing from surrounding villages, and took place at Jojobera Cement Plant. The course content includes theoretical knowledge as well as practical application experiences, like brick masonry, plastering (interior), putty (interior), tile masonry (floor and wall), and PCC work. The training programme has been evaluated and certified by The Institution of Engineers (India), Jamshedpur, and there are plans to extend this programme to other parts of the country where Nuvoco has its operations.
A convocation ceremony was held at Jojobera to felicitate the first batch of trainees who have successfully completed the course. The Chief Guest for the occasion was Jayakumar Krishnaswamy, Managing Director, Nuvoco along with Joydeep Chatterjee, Chief Projects & Corporate Affairs Officer; Sanjay Joshi, Chief Manufacturing Officer and Raju Ramchandran, Senior Vice President, JCP.
Sharing his views on the programme, Jayakumar Krishnaswamy, Managing Director, Nuvoco, expressed, “Owing to labour-intensive activities, the construction industry has always remained a male-dominated sector. ‘Nirmaan Bahini’, therefore, is a great opportunity for women to join the construction sector. Masons play a key role in the home building process as typically, Individual Home Builders (IHBs) rely greatly on the skills and knowledge of a mason over an engineer. Such mason training programmes help meet customer expectations of constructing a safe, durable, and aesthetically appealing home while focusing on new trends in the construction industry. I am proud to recognise the first All Women’s Masons’ batch, which will lead the way to bigger and better opportunities for women to achieve financial and social independence, as well as gender equality.”
