In a talk earlier during the day related to Skill Development Programs and its relevance today (this article is a transcript of my address for that session), I’ve been pondering about a point made by a colleague on why a particular program launched recently aren’t seeing much interest. It feels like a bit of a contradiction—the industry is clearly booming, yet the programs has lesser takers. The reality on the ground is just more layered than it looks. Building a solid training program requires a real understanding of the grind and a willingness to get your hands dirty on the shop floor. My own perspective comes from years of being on the board of our family consultancy, where we implement advanced production systems and manage high-tech assembly lines for global EV brands. Even as someone who studied at a premier technical institute and now employs about twenty of its alumni, I can see that what the market actually needs has shifted.
Gone are those days, when we used to measure an engineering firm’s strength by the number of drafting tables on its floor. Today, that same power sits in the hands of a few experts with the right software. This isn’t just a change in tools—it’s a total shift in the Indian industrial landscape. From my time managing high-tech lines for global tech product manufacturing brands, I’ve seen firsthand that while the old drawing halls have emptied out, the shop floor has become the new brain of the factory. To stay relevant, our skill programs must stop training for the crowded offices of the past and start preparing for the automated future.
The dip in interest for traditional design isn’t because the industry is slowing down; it’s because the job itself has changed. In the past, a specialist spent years mastering manual calculations and intricate technical details. Today, powerful software and machine (and AI) driven simulations do the heavy lifting. These tools can now automatically correct designs for manufacturability, which means companies don’t need a massive team of junior designers anymore. Most businesses would rather hire one expert lead who can command these high-end tools than train five people from scratch to do things the old way.
Beyond that, the real skills gap has moved from the drawing board straight to the production floor. There is a huge demand right now for specialists who can run smart factories. As machines get more sophisticated, they can actually fix minor design flaws on their own while they operate. This shift moves the priority from just creating a part to optimizing the entire production process. We are also seeing a trend where parts are made locally, but the complex high-end designs are often centralized in global hubs or elite specialized labs that then outsource the basic work to smaller shops.
Finally, new technologies like 3D printing and hybrid manufacturing have completely rewritten the rulebook. Back in those days, we focused on the limits of traditional manufacturing, but today’s world is about integrating additive manufacturing and robotics. Younger engineers are naturally drawn to these glamorous fields and tend to see traditional design as a legacy skill from the past. If we want to get people to sign up, we have to pivot our curriculum toward these high-tech, automated roles that actually reflect how the modern world works.