Sushim Banerjee at his office. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Executive director (HRD), Management Training Institute (MTI), SAIL, Ranchi, Sushim Banerjee talking to Rudra Biswas at his office, says apart from assessing training requirements of the Steel Authority of India, the largest steel producer in the country, it is MTI’s task to diagnose key organisational issues, draw up an action plan, provide vital inputs to SAIL personnel and finally equip them to take on the challenges.

Established in 1962 as the apex training institute of SAIL, MTI is one of the finest in-company training institutes in Asia and the first in the country to have the distinction of receiving ISO 9001 certification in 1994 for management training. The institute has the distinction of having won the coveted Golden Peacock National Quality Award in 1996.

With the opening up of the economy and entry of new players, SAIL as the biggest Indian steel maker, would be confronted with new challenges. What role do you see for MTI in this situation?

MTI is continuously assessing the training requirements of SAIL and diagnosing key organisational issues, including future requirements and likely competition from local and foreign players. It also imparts need-based training to SAIL employees. On the basis of these, MTI provides training inputs in project management, skill gap analysis, advanced management, negotiating skills, leadership, team-building, strategic management among other things to SAIL personnel to equip them to handle newer challenges.

With the majority of senior-level managers above 50, how is MTI grooming younger people to take on the SAIL leadership?

In the next five years, SAIL is about to witness large-scale superannuation of a good number of its senior-level managers. MTI has already begun the process of identifying middle-level managers from various SAIL plants countrywide and training them to take over the reins of SAIL.

Since a good number of SAIL managers are due to retire in the next five years or so, is any training being provided to deal with post-retirement situation?

MTI has already begun to conduct retirement plan programmes for SAIL employees, who are on the verge of retirement. We are also inviting bankers and insurance companies to explain various investment schemes to them.

Does MTI provide training to only SAIL employees?

Our primary responsibility is to train SAIL personnel. However, we also train selected executives from NTPC and BHEL. A tie-up with IIM, Calcutta, and Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, to provide third party consultancy, is in the pipeline.