TPSDI: Empowering the power sector

Tata Power Skill Development Institute, Shahad is the institute plays a significant role in empowering youth and others with employable skills, especially in the power and allied sectors, and to address the skill gap challenge faced by the power industry.

As India is now a major global economy, the demand for skilled manpower is growing at a huge rate. Meanwhile, the country today has one of the highest numbers of people in the world who fall in the working age group. However, a very large percentage of India’s huge workforce lacks employable skills today and this places a significant entry barrier to the job market. India’s workforce needs to be equipped with employable skills and knowledge so that it can contribute to and benefit from the growth of the country’s economy.

Tata Power Skill Development Institute (TPSDI) is a non-profit corporate social responsibility initiative by Tata Power and is mandated to provide youth and others with modular training, certifications in power sector and allied skills leading to employability and advancement.

Role of the Institution
The institute will benefit over 400 power sector workers through various power-skills training programs. The unique training facilities created at TPSDI Shahad are: cable laying skills, cable joining and terminations skills, distribution system skill, and power system skill, transmission and distribution line skills, allied Skill, solar power skill, substation – electrician, distribution meter technician, industrial electrician, welders skills, riggers, digital meter testing.

Training at TPSDI ensures holistic development of trainees. In addition to technical skills in the power sector, training at TPSDI also focuses on other dimensions of skill building, such as numerical ability, science, basic IT, industry orientation, communication, soft skills and personality development and work ethics, and places special emphasis on safety, health and environment (SHE) considering the sector’s specific need. The training consists of both knowledge and hands­ on skills. Training certificates are issued in the form of cards which indicate the participants’ proficiency levels in applicable trades.

The students have access to all the transmission cables and distribution lines that are used practically at different levels like in a power sector. The various courses ranging from six days to three years with a 80 per cent focus on practical exposure and 20 per cent on theoretical knowledge.

The state of the art training infrastructure at TPSDI – Shahad includes:

• 6 ‘Smart’ classrooms and one spacious auditorium
• 5 well equipped labs including a computer lab
• 2 well equipped workshops
• Internet connectivity in the computer lab
• Life-size 110 KV transmission towers and lines
• Life-size 22 KV / 440 volts substation
• Training setup for solar PV and thermal systems
• Training setup for distribution Systems
• Training set up for cable laying & jointing, surface and concealed wiring, meter installation and testing and motor rewinding
• Meter testing lab
• Safety training facilities for working at height, confined spaces, and electrical safety
• Site visits to the receiving station
• Well-maintained canteen
• Hostel
• Guest house for faculty
• Library
• Medical emergency services and a visiting doctor
• Highly secured premises
• Green and environment friendly campus.