| Immediately after the 26th January 2001 earthquake, GSDMA, with an aim to promote earthquake resistant practices in masonry construction, initiated Masons Certification Programme which allows the masons to test their skills and improve themselves in the areas they are deficient in. |
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| A detailed training module was constituted based on identified skills. The training module has been constituted under three heads namely Core Skills, Basic Skills and Advanced Skills. Total ten training modules were designed covering these three levels of skills. The training agency (NGO’s or Cement Companies, etc.) identifies the masons and mobilize them to participate in the certification programme. |
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| The training agency will be training the Masons in the areas where masons are found lacking in these 10 basic skills. This training was based on the guidelines prepared by GSDMA. After the completion of the training, the agency will request Gujarat Council of Vocational Training (GCVT), to visit their area where the agency is based to assess the masons and provide certification. |
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| After the assessment, if GCVT finds that a mason is good only in eight skills and weak in other two, then the mason will be deemed to have passed the test for eight skills and get retrained by the agency in the two skills, which he did not pass. The competency certification will be provided only if the masons pass the assessment test for all the ten modules. The agency will continue training the masons till the ten training modules have been completed successfully. |
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| After final certification of the mason, the NGO/agency that trained the mason, was paid Rs. 2000/- per mason as the cost of training imparted to them. Masons have been certified by the Gujarat Council of Vocational Training in Porbandar, Patan, Junagadh, Ahmedabad, Amreli, Dahod and Mehsana districts with the involvement of agencies such as SEEDS, Gramin Vikas Trust and Anarde Foundation. In order to train maximum number of masons in Zone V and Zone IV areas of the State which are more vulnerable to earthquakes, GSDMA has entered into an agreement with L & T Ltd. to utilize their masons training facilities and impart training and certify masons in earthquake resistant construction. |
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| Mason Training 2012-13 |
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| GSDMA is reinitiating Mason Training/Certification Programme for masons in Gujarat State so that the quality of construction in rural and semi-urban areas could be improved. In this regard GSDMA has signed an MoU with L&T for masons training program. According to the MoU, GSDMA will screen and provide suitable number of candidates to L&T who will undergo training in Confined Masonry Construction. The training would be of three months. The course is basically designed to improve and impart training in confined masonry construction including earthquake resistant construction in rural areas. The main construction sector targeted is housing schemes running under state and central government. After training the trained masons will either work in L&T projects or choose to work on their own in any region. |