Several textile mills in Coimbatore region have agreed to train workers through the Textile Sector Skill Council, which is supported by the Centre. The move will standardise training in the textile units. CEO of the council, J V Rao, has reportedly said that though there are several State and Union government schemes that support skills development in manufacturing sector and the units have in-house training programs, the skill council has standardised the training syllabus for 56 jobs in spinning, weaving, knitting and processing.

The textile industry is transforming with units investing huge amounts in automation. The focus now is on skills, knowledge and performance of the workers. The Centre provides Rs 2 crore annually for the first two years and Rs 1 crore to the council for the third year. The industry contributes Rs 20 lakh a year for two years and Rs 10 lakh in the third year to create the training eco system, Rao informed.

The proposal is to have approved agencies to train the trainers and they will in turn train the employees. The council’s immediate focus is on textile units in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh as the number of spinning units is high in these States. The units can have in-house trainers or employ trainers from outside, he said.

Each unit that is willing to take part in this project will have to be affiliated with the council. The trained workers will get a certificate and the units can avail of assistance under different schemes of the Union fovernment.