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SN: 2278-5=
264 (Online) 2321=
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pact Factor: 6.=
28 =
(=
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ndex Copernicus
International)
Volume=
-V, Issue-II,
October 2016, Page No. 45-55
P=
u=
blished by Dept.
of Bengali, Karimganj College, Karimganj,
Assam, India<=
span
lang=3DEN-IN style=3D'font-family:"Cambria","serif";mso-fareast-font-family=
:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:Cambria;mso-bidi-language:BN-BD'>
Skill development of Manpower=
-A
Study on the Traditional Brass Metal Industry of Assam
Ms.=
Research Scholar, Department =
of
Commerce, Gauhati University
Mr.=
Assistant Professor, K.C. Das
Commerce College, Guwahati
Skill is a
learned ability to carry out a task with predetermined results often within=
a
given time frame. The world market has changed drastically for skilled and
unskilled workforce and there is a growing need for workers with specialized
skills. Skill development is developing oneself and one’s skills in order to
add value to the organization. Brass metal being one of the traditional
industries of Assam can become one of the chief contributors towards the
revenue generation of the state only if technological innovations are broug=
ht
about in the revival of the industries, this is only possible when the work=
ers
of these industries will be trained and equipped properly. The present study
aims to study the level of skill education in the brass metal industry of A=
ssam
and how it can contribute towards the revival of the sick industries in this
sector. An attempt has also been made to study the problem areas where skil=
l up
gradation is necessary and whether the artisans are getting any help in ski=
ll
education from the government. The study is mainly based on primary data wi=
th
some references being drawn from secondary data as well.
=
Introduction:
Skill
is a learned ability to carry out a task with predetermined results often
within a given amount of time. It is an ability and capacity acquired throu=
gh
deliberate, systematic and sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carry
out complex activities or job functions involving ideas (cognitive skills),
things (technical skills) or people (interpersonal skills). The world market
has changed drastically for skilled and unskilled workforce. There is a gro=
wing
need for skill particularly specialized skills. Skilled labour requires
additional skills or education. This growing demand has led to the growth of
the increase in skill development practices.
Skill development means developing o=
neself
and one’s skill in order to add value for the organization and for one’s own
career development. Fostering an attitude of appreciation for lifelong lear=
ning
is the key to workplace success, continuously learning and developing one’s
skills requires identifying the skills needed for mobility and then
successfully seeking out trainings or on-the- job opportunities for develop=
ing
those skills.
The contemporary focus on skill buil=
ding
or skill development in India is derived from the changing demographic prof=
iles
in India, China, Western Europe, and North America. These changing demographic profiles ind=
icate
that India has a unique 20 to 25 years’ window of opportunity called
“demographic dividend”. Demographic dividend involves two factors ie. declining birth rates =
and
increase in life expectancy. This accounts for India having world’s youngest
work force with a median age way below that of China and OECD Countries.
Alongside this window
of opportunity for
India, the global economy is expected to witness a skilled man power shortage to the ext=
ent of
around 56 million by 2020. Thus, the “demographic dividend” in India needs<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> to be
exploited not only to expand
the production possibility
frontier but also
to meet the
skilled manpower requiremen=
ts of
in India and abroad. Skill building can be viewed as an instrument to impro=
ve
the effectiveness and contribution of labour to the overall production. I
As a result, in order to develop ski=
ll of
manpower “Coordinated Action on Skill Development” with three-tier
institutional structure consisting of (i) PM’s National Council (ii) Nation=
al
Skill Development Coordination Board (NSDCB), (iii) National Skill Developm=
ent
Corporation (NSDC) was
created in early 2008.
Skill
India Campaign 2015: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi launched his pet project Skill India
Campaign in New Delhi on the occasion of the first ever World Youth Skills =
Day
which included the launch of the National Skill Development Mission and
unveiling of the new National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneur=
ship
2015.
He said over the next decade India will= have a surplus manpower of 4-5 crore and emphasised = the need to provide this youthful manpower with skills and ability to tackle gl= obal challenges. Modi warned that the demographic di= vidend would otherwise become a challenge in itself.
The Prime
Minister said that while in the 20th century the IITs made a name for themselves globally, now in the 21st century ITIs
(Industrial Training Institutes) should acquire global recognition for
producing quality skilled manpower.
He also cal= led for constant updating of training programmes and syllabi to ensure that the youth are exposed to the latest technology and industry environment. <= o:p>
Profile of the Brass Metal Indus=
try
of Assam: Metal manufacturing in India has=
a
glorious past. Archaeological evidences prove that metallic culture in Indi=
a is
as old as the Indus Valley Civilization. Assam is no exception to this gene=
ral
trend of metal manufacturing in the country. The art of making articles from
brass metals are some of the important source of livelihood of the people of
this region. The brass metal industry does not have a clear genesis. The br=
ass
metal craft of the Sarthebari revenue circle is=
known
as “Sarai<=
/span> Silpa=
”. The
artisans engaged in the brass metal craft do not belong to any special reli=
gion
or community. In the present day scenario the brass metal craft in Assam can
mostly be found in the Hajo area where local ar=
tisans
are engaged in this craft of manufacturing traditional utensils.
Distribution of the brass metal
industries in Assam: The
articles made of brass
metals in Assam are popular form of traditional utilitarian items. During that
period, brass metal production centers were=
existed
at Tit=
abar, Raha and <=
/span>Dhekiajuli i=
n eastern
and central Assam. However,=
these
centres were disintegrated during the colonial period and confined mainly t=
o Sarthebari region of western Assam. On a limited scal=
e, the
industry also exists at some other areas of western Assam, like Kartimari-Asharkandi-Sapatgram, =
Bilasipara
and Gauripur. Hajo =
of Kamrup district and Sarthebari
cluster of
Review of literature: Amitendu Palit in
his research “Skill development in India: Challenges and strategies” (2009)
found that higher education capacities in India are unevenly distributed ac=
ross
the country. They display a clear tendency of concentrating on a few large
states. India’s present formal technical training infrastructure is much mo=
re
restricted than the requirements. Specific technical training is available =
for
different disciplines within the broader ambits of agriculture, engineering=
and
technology. 90% of the diploma programmes and 80% of the certificate traini=
ng
programmes are in engineering subjects.
Arvil V. Adams in his study “The role of Skill Develo=
pment
in overcoming Social Disadvantages” (2011) analysed that the presence of jo=
bs
and the widening of access to education and training have combined to help
improve employment opportunities for all. Countries in which there is an ef=
fort
towards skill building the status of people have significantly improved.
Prof. Krunal K. Punjani in his =
paper
“Requirements of skill development for the success of “Make in India” proje=
ct”
(2014) analyses the level of skill development in India. He found that 10% =
of
Indian workforce has formal training and India is lagging behind by 20% in
terms of skill building.
Vandana Saini in her paper
entitled “Skill development in India: Needs, Challenges and Ways Forward”
(2015) found that in order to make India internationally competitive a skil=
led
workforce is very essential and also as India moves forward towards a knowl=
edge
economy development of skill is more essential and the government should tr=
y to
introduce more holistic solutions towards development of skills in manpower=
.
Objectives:
· =
To
study the need of skill education in these industries ;
Methodology: The paper “Skill development of
workers of brass metal industry with special reference to Assam” is a
descriptive study.
Sources of data: The study has been conducted mainly by taking into accou=
nt
the primary source of data. Primary data has been taken by visiting the bra=
ss
metal clusters in Assam. Secondary data has also been consulted for the sur=
vey
by referring to various books, websites, journals, newspapers etc.
Sampling technique: The present survey has been conducted by using the
multistage random sampling technique where the state of Assam has been divi=
ded
into various districts from these districts, the researcher has randomly ch=
osen
the districts of Kamrup (rural), Kamrup
(Metro), Barpeta and Jorha=
t.
Now these selected districts are divided into towns and the researcher has
chosen the towns of barpeta, Hajo,
Guwahati and Jorhat based on the brass metal cl=
usters
present there. Then the researcher has conducted a study by randomly choosi=
ng
two clusters of brass metal industry from each selected town.
Sample unit: The
study has been conducted by conducting a survey across 8 clusters of brass
metal manufacturing units.
Area of the study: The current research has been conducted mainly in Barpeta, Hajo, Jorhat and Guwahati brass metal industries.
Process of manufacturing: The process of manufacturing the
traditional Assamese brass and metal items is not a simple process. A lot of
efforts of the artisans go into carving out these fine articles from the
metals.
Raw materia=
ls:
The raw materials used for the products are mainly brass metal sheets and a=
re
provided by the local supplier and wholesalers who pay only labour charges =
to
the artisans and provide them a time limit within which they have to
manufacture and supply the finished products to them.
Fig
no-1: Process of manufacturing
=
Source: Primary data collected from the artisans.
Sizing
by cutting the metal and hammering to give the desired shape=
: The sheets of metal are burnt in a fire vent, to soften
them and are hammered continuously in wooden mould to give the desired shap=
e.
Joining
the joints and smoothing the rough edges: The darkened layer is scraped off by using a long iron r=
od
called khonta by the local craftsmen, to bring
smoothness and glaze to the metal wares
Carving
imprints on the metal works: After the products are made
Carvings
rings (Bhor Mara) on the items:<=
span
lang=3DEN-IN style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif=
";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'> In order to give final touches =
to
the metal wares, sharp tool made of iron is used. The craftsmen used a bow =
like
instrument called dhonukar.
Skills of the artisans engaged in
brass metal trade: During
the course of the survey it was found that the artisans engaged in this tra=
de
did not possess any formal education or skill in this craft. They learned t=
his
craft from their forefathers and these traditional skills passed on from
generation to generation. Most of the pockets of manufacturing these metals=
are
privately owned and the owners had on an average 10 to11 workers under them.
Only a few huge pockets are located in industrial estates of Hajo and Sarthebari with =
a large
number of workers engaged in the craft. There is no training centres for th=
is
craft neither do the artisans have any new facility for manufacturing their
articles, they are still using the age old tools and e=
quipments
for the purpose of trade. The businesses are mostly family business with the
craft passing from the fathers to the sons.
Tools and equipments used:
Fig No-2: List of
tools and equipments.
=
Source: Primary data collected from field survey.
Items manufactured with brass me=
tal:
Some of the products manufactured from brass metal are as
under:
Fig-3: Showing the traditional assamese sarai, bati (bowl), kahi (plate) and the koloh (pot)<= o:p>
Source: Primary data.
Status and Need of skill educati=
on in
brass metal industry: The
brass metal industries of Assam be=
ing
one of the oldest industries in the state and having a historical and
traditional relevance in the Assamese society needs to be revived and
redesigned with modern technologies to make them marketable in the changing
economic scenario. With no effort coming from any direction in this area mo=
st
of the units of manufacturing have become sick with no scope of revival. Th=
ese
industries can become chief generators of revenue for the state of Assam, f=
or
this skill development of the artisans is important. They have to be taught=
the
modern methods of manufacturing the items as the age old methods are becomi=
ng
obsolete and are highly hazardous. The craftsmen are using traditional tools
and methods from shape making to final finishing but they are not up to the mar=
k and
quality up gradation is necessary. They ignore the critical art of finishin=
g as
random hammering leads to variation in sizes of the products, training camps
need to be organized to educate the workers for the same. The young generat=
ion
are no longer interested in the art of making these metals and they go for
other options and search for other jobs, attention of the young generation
should be drawn towards these craft by introducing new technologies and new
ways of manufacturing these items and for alround
development of these craft skill development efforts play a very important =
role
in this sector.
Areas of skill up gradation in b=
rass
metal craft:
· =
Process:
There is a need to introduce mod=
ern
technology and tools for process up gradation, quality improvement and bett=
er
finishing.
· =
Pattern:
The product patterns need to be
improved keeping in mind the contemporary trends.
· =
Packaging: Lack of proper packaging,
standardization, no visual identity creates problem while creating brand
identity for the product.
Fig
-4.1: Showing scope of new technology, design and modernization:
Fig
-4.2: Showing scope of new technology, design and modernization (contd.)
=
Source: Brass metal craft, A need Assessment Survey,
Issues in the way of skill educa=
tion:
Fig.5
Showing problems of skill education
=
Source: Primary data.
Findings: Skill development initiative in =
the
age old brass metal industry of Assam is limited. Hardly, any initiative has
come from any sector for the up gradation of skills of these workers. During
the course of the survey the researcher found that no Government initiative=
has
come up in this field in recent years, the artisans do not have any formal
training in their craft. They only have informal education of their craft w=
hich
has been passed on from generation to generation. Some of the units like th=
e Ganeshpara,
Guwahati units have closed down due to lack of manpower. In addition to the
problems of skill up gradation the other problems faced by the artisans are
lack of raw materials, capital, manpower, lack of government initiatives in=
the
field etc.
Suggestions: The brass metal industry of Assam
has a huge potential for revenue and employment generation of the state of
Assam. With the improvement of skills of workers of this industry it can ag=
ain
touch new heights. Skills can be improved by introducing new technology and=
equipments in this industries and giving formal educa=
tion
to the workers about the same. Effort on the part of the government is also
important for skill up gradation and for revival of the sick industrial uni=
ts.
Fig.6
Showing a technologically advanced machine for
production of brass metal items.
Source: Rakesh Shah (2011) B=
rass
metal craft, A need assessment Survey, Barpeta, Assam.
Conclusion: The brass metal craft holds an
important place in the tradition rich Assamese heritage, due to this surviv=
al
of this industry is important for the Assamese culture. Skills play a pivot=
al
role in this art as the craft is dependent on the artistic creation of the
workers in the industry. The present scenario of skill development in this
sector is below par, so, for the revival and survival of this sector
cooperation of the government as well as the people of the state is importa=
nt.
Skill plays an important role in all crafts so is the case with the brass m=
etal
industry of Assam without proper skill education and training the workers of
the industry will not be able to compete in the global market.
References:
Books:
=
2. Ranjan Aditi and
Ranjan M.P (2009), Handmade in India: A Geograp=
hic
Encyclopaedia of India Handicrafts, Abbeville Press.
Websites:
Articles:
=
2. Palit Amitendu (2009), Skill
Development In India: Challenges and Strategies, ISAS Working Paper No. 89.=
=
3. Punjani K. Krunal<=
/span>
(2015), A study on skill requirements of Skill
Development for the success of “Make in India” Project, Tactful Management
Research Journal.
=
4. Saini Vandana (2015), Skill Devel=
opment
in India: Needs, Challenges and Ways Forward, Abhinav<=
/span>
National Monthly Journal of Research In Arts and Education, Volume-4, Issue=
-4
Skill
development of Manpower-A Study on the Traditional Brass Metal… Kabita Kalita & Dhrubajyoti Sarma