Defence, aerospace sector faces acute talent deficit

A dearth of talent continues to weigh on India’s nascent defence and aerospace industry. “Sourcing talent for the sector is going to become a bigger challenge now because a lot of defence related programmes are drawing to a close,” says Kunal Girap, Director, WalkWater, a talent advisory services firm.
India raised its defence budget by 17 per cent in 2012/13 alone to $38 billion. About $16 billion has been allocated this fiscal year for long-term asset creation, which would include modernisation of the armed forces and procurement of weapons.
The Indian government is increasingly trying to source material and equipment locally for the defence and aerospace sector (about 70 per cent of the industry’s requirements are currently met through imports). Foreign companies can bid for Ministry of Defence contracts – only they have to set up an operational base in India through a joint venture (JV) with Indian companies.
For instance, BAE Systems India has a JV each with the Mahindra & Mahindra Group and the government owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. This is slowly and surely creating a big need for trained manpower. The industry needs engineers with a background in mechatronics (mechanical and electronic engineering), composites (combination and strength of materials) and system integration knowledge. Few Indian universities though offer courses tailor made for the defence and aerospace sector .
The industry thus is trying to fill the gap by recruiting from heavy engineering and automobile companies.
20/09/12 Manasi Mithel/Business Today