Gyproc Skill Initiative

Mintu K Chandran

Being born in Kerala and brought up in Odisha, knowing the diversity of India, I had a great academic career studying in different parts of the country graduating from the prestigious Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Odisha. The time was such that the whole ecosystem was very exciting as many startups and entrepreneurs were budding in the country which motivated me to explore the world of Entrepreneurship and I really wished to make a impact of my own. Ultimately exploring through the life experiences in the year 2017, I learned about the Gypsum Industry from my mother since she worked in the same industry in Kerala for a decade. I started exploring more options to build my career in the Gypsum Industry and thus reached at National Academy of Construction, Hyderabad a skill development Initiative by the pioneer in Gypsum Industry Saint Gobain Gyproc and Govt of Telangana. The initiative by Gyproc was my gateway to the industry where I joined in August 2017 to learn the trade as an Assistant Technician Drywall and False-Ceiling.

In Sep 2017, I graduated from NAC and after months of research and attempts, on 11th Feb 2018, I debuted my entrepreneurial journey with my firm Gypsum Corporation “Gypcorp” as a service provider and material dealers in Drywall and False-Ceiling in the city of Bhubaneswar, State of Odisha by bootstrapping funds from family. In these 03 years of entrepreneurial journey I have been working for reputed companies like : NBCC, TATA Projects, Steel Authority of India Limited, Indian Oil Corporation, National Investigation Agency, Jindal Steel & Power, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Skill Development Institute, KIMS, TATA Power, URC Construction and adding.

Yet I do realise, I have a long journey ahead. Many dreams to fulfil, many milestones to overtake and last but not the least make my family, my people, my mentors, my company proud. I wish to thank and convey my deepest gratitude to Saint Gobain Gyproc of India with a special mention of Mr. Venkat Subramanian, Managing Director, Mr. Girish Dash Head – Design and Technical, Mr. Emmanuel Gurupnoor Manager Skill Development for their support in my journey. The skill development initiative of Saint Gobain Gyproc is making us worthy and capable and I hope that someday we could become the strongest pillar of the Indian Gypsum Industry and keep the wheels moving.

Proud to be Drywaller.

Nitesh Tiwari

My name is Nitesh Tiwari. I belong to Gonda District in Uttar Pradesh. Financially my family was not doing well and it was becoming tough for my father to make ends meet. My family consists of my parents, 01 younger brother, 02 sisters, wife and 01 child.

After completing my 12th class, I could not pursue my education due to financial problems. During that time a person of my village who was working in Lucknow informed me that Dr K L Garg Vocational Training institute situated in Telibaug Lucknow which is supported by Saint Gobain Gyproc is providing free training with food and accommodation in trade Drywall and False Ceiling Installation. I took admission in course along with my friends Mukesh and Bharat Babu.

The course was divided into two parts theory and practical. In morning and evening 02 hr. theory classes were conducted, and rest of the time we were doing practical training. During training we learnt concept of Drywall and False Ceiling, product knowledge, Installation method, Jointing, finishing and repairing. After completing the training, assessments were conducted and certificates were provided.

After certification we were given placements in Mumbai and were appointed as helper in Drywall interior Fitout limited at World Tower site Lower Parel, Mumbai. My starting salary was Rs 200 for 8 hrs. I left the job after working 15 days due to accommodation issues and came back to my home town. However, due to financial situation at my home I talked to Mr. Emmanuel of Saint Gobain Gyproc for another placement and after 10 days I again came to Mumbai. There was a day in Mumbai when I didn’t have enough money to eat then I talked to Emmanuel Sir of Saint Gobain Gyproc and he came and gave me Rs. 300, then I went to eat food. Thereafter, I worked in company called Regal in Bangalore for a salary of Rs. 9000 pm. The site closed after 02 months and I too was diagnosed as suffering from Dengue, hence I returned back to my village. After a period of 02 months I recovered from Dengue and came to Delhi. I was selected as supervisor in Symphony Interiors at a salary of 20,000 per month, after working in Symphony for 02 years, I joined Vector company at Rs 25000 salary. Thereafter, with support of Saint Gobain Gyproc I got selected as trainer at Labournet Company at a salary of Rs. 31,000, and trained around 500 people. I was selected in the top 3 trainer and received the prize also.

I had worked in False Ceiling and Dry Wall sector for over 5 years and then I thought of taking up work by establishing my own company, in which Mr. Pradeep Mishra from Gyproc helped a lot. I formed my own company for which I had to take a loan of 4 lakhs. Decor Home, Mumbai hired me for DAICEC site in Mumbai. I started work with 6 people but it was not sufficient. Then, I requested Skill Development team of Saint Gobain Gyproc for support in getting more manpower for my team. Gradually, we had more than 200 people working in my company. I have also received the Certificate of Appreciation from Gyproc and an award for Best Contractor from Decor Home. As of today I have 10 sites in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore where more than 200 people are working.

Thanks to Saint Gobain Gyproc that they gave me and many people like me opportunity to learn skills and earn livelihood with dignity.