People-Centric L&D Initiatives Lead The Way For Future Ready Workforce At NTPC

Learning and Development practices have become a talking point for organisations looking to up their ante when it comes to reskilling their workforce for new-age workplaces. 

Deploying an innovative approach, adopting technology, setting benchmarks and fostering a culture of continuous learning is a template process top companies are willing to follow to bring out the best in their human resources in the disruptive world one is living in today.

While some organisations are catching up on the L&D curve, organisations like NTPC have aced the game by creating a fool-proof process that entails investing in and providing opportunities to its employees, tailored to business imperatives and employee needs.

While the goal at NTPC remains embellished in creating a workforce for the future by leveraging technology a focused and need-based approach makes the process unique in its own way.

Some of the key interventions are as follows:

Online Courses / Modules for enhancing functional competency of all Operation and Maintenance (O&M) executives on the GPiLearn+ platform:  

NTPC has partnered with GP Strategies India Private Limited for use of its GPiLearn+ platform by all O&M executives (6000 plus) for 5 years. The platform makes available a plethora of technical and safety courses and has allowed NTPC to upload its own technical courses/modules, Location Management Instructions (LMIs) and Job-Rotation (Samarth) facilitation training modules (1 pertaining to Operation and 14 to different Maintenance areas).    

O&M executives have been assigned learning paths comprising mandatory and optional technical and safety modules and LMIs based on department and posting location considering the peculiarities of technology at the locations. The progress made is tracked through auto-generated reports and dashboards. Follow-up is undertaken to ensure completion of the mandatory modules within the time frame specified. Those rotated to different O&M areas can also access the standardized Samarth modules for reference. Modules are marked as completed only after the assessments inbuilt in the system, are cleared. New courses and relevant updates are added where required.  A total of 10000 courses comprising 4000 courses provided by GP Strategies and 6000 courses/modules inclusive of LMIs uploaded by NTPC has been made available on this platform.   

The initiative is contributing to bridging of functional competency gaps and acquisition of the required proficiency and is unique in terms of customization and coverage. It facilitates learning in the flow of work (anywhere, anytime, any device).   

Administering Online job rotation modules through SAMARTH 

Samarth modules have been designed for employees transferred from one department to another (job rotation) as part of Leadership Development (Career progression) and are an essential component of the strategy to promote the Mobility of Executives in the company. “SAMARTH” Modules are conducted for the Executives who have been assigned new profiles upon Job Rotation in order to give them an orientation and basic knowledge of the new profiles. The sessions under Samarth are taught mostly by experts from NTPC. These are 7 or 15 days customized online programmes. The Samarth module focuses on Job Safety Analysis, Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment & Work permit system along with standard operating procedures. 

Administering Future Skills courses (AI, ML, IoT, Big Data Analytics) on the online platform

In order to make all NTPC employees Future Ready with respect to New Digital Technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Robotic Process Automation,  etc, and Professional Skills like Problem-Solving, Design Thinking, Project Management, Digital Leadership, etc, NTPC has tied up with Government of India's, Ministry of Electronics and IT, to provide online access through NASSCOM's FutureSkills Prime Portal.

Expecting technology transition, new age digital courses like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Data Science, Machine Learning, Block-Chain etc. have been made available on the Future Skills platform. The content is developed by the leaders in the industry, such as Microsoft and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Learners can choose a particular technology, job role or skill and get a wide variety of bite-sized learning modules, the learning experience is enhanced by the AI-based curation engine which selects the best course suited for their interests and learning styles. Continuous learning prepares for readiness, augments an existing training program and reinforces learning after the learning event is over. 

Introduction of Virtual Reality (VR) Technology for operators and welders

Complementing the Samarth modules, VR modules have been developed to provide virtual hands-on experience to all manpower working in Operation & Maintenance. VR modules emulate a 3D physical site condition which creates a sense of immersion. Due to their effectiveness to provide hands-on experience, we have developed Operation & Maintenance VR modules viz. isolation & normalization of important equipment, valve operation, assembly and disassembly of bearings and turbine (HP, IP & LP), safety etc. In total, 58 Virtual reality modules have been developed (450 minutes of content). Similarly, a VR-based welding simulator provides hands-on training to the welders which also has an inbuilt assessment module. These modules enhance the skill sets of the workers.

Considering the number of L&D programs, NTPC continuously endeavours to provide a compelling career proposition to its employees.

Well, when purposeful engagement and people-centric initiatives lie at the core of any organisational policy, it is bound to create a culture of excellence and a win-win situation for the most important asset - its employee.