L&T’s Skill Trainers Academy (STA) was recently inaugurated by the Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Mahendra Nath Pandey at Madh Island. The event was held in the presence of AM Naik, Group Chairman, L&T and Chairman National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), who headed the initiative to address the skill gap in India. Set up in an existing facility of L&T, the academy has the capacity to train 1,500 trainers per year. It is equipped with classrooms, workshops and hostel facilities. The programme comprises a ten days classroom training followed by a 15 week on-the-Job (OJT) training. The curriculum is developed by Singapore Polytechnic as part of MoU with NSDC. While it focuses on platform skills or pedagogy, the sessions also cover domain skills along with soft and life skills to provide a holistic development. At the end of the 10-day programme candidates go through an assessment process and those who qualify get a certificate valid for two years. Those who qualify after the OJT get a certificate with lifelong validity. The academy started its initial programme on 15 January 2021 and has already successfully trained 150 trainers until now. The academy aims to impart high impact training to trainers engaged in the skilling ecosystem in the country. The academy comprises of experienced faculty with domain experience and a passion for training. NSDC is a public-private partnership, working under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. It supports short-term skill training through a wide network of training providers and district nodal skill canters called Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK). Larsen & Toubro is engaged in EPC projects, Hi-tech manufacturing and services. Written from a company news release.