Press Releases

Vedanta Aluminium launches Augmented Reality-led campaign to attract women to manufacturing industry

• Embodies this year’s theme of ‘DigitALL: Innovation & Technology for Gender Equality’ through the campaign

New Delhi; 10^th March 2023: On International Women’s Day 2023, Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, launched an Augmented Reality (AR)-led campaign (a selfie filter) called ‘Sorting Hard-Hat’ on Instagram. Focused on attracting women professionals to the manufacturing industry, the campaign seeks to enhance the gender diversity present within the sector. At present, the disparity in male-female hiring is even more pronounced in the metals and heavy engineering sectors. In this year’s edition of the campaign, the exciting filter matches viewers’ personalities with desirable attributes for various departments at Vedanta Aluminium based on the ‘Thinking Hats’ concept, and then invites them to check out the careers page on the company’s website for their dream job. The campaign can be accessed here: https://www.instagram.com/ar/753106539761391

The campaign was launched on International Women’s Day to urge women professionals and students to actively consider a career in the manufacturing industry. Leveraging AR for the manufacturing sector where digital technology has become a great equaliser ensuring increasing participation of all genders, the campaign truly embodies this year’s International Women’s Day theme of ‘DigitALL: Innovation & Technology for Gender Equality’.

The manufacturing, heavy engineering and metals industries will be the backbone of India and is powering India’s ambitions of becoming the manufacturing hub of the world. With the dawn of Industry 4.0, the sector is becoming increasingly attractive with exciting opportunities such as high-tech manufacturing, sustainable manufacturing, energy transition and creation of ‘green’ products & services for a low-carbon economy. This promises immense career options in an industry that has undergone a quantum leap over the years with extensive deployment of hi-end technologies, digital solutions, advanced automation, smart manufacturing, robotics, and more.

Speaking about the campaign, Mr. Rahul Sharma, CEO, Vedanta Limited – Aluminium Business, said, “The forthcoming decades are going to be metal-intensive, preparing for which will need the metals & mining industry to harness the best of human capital, for creating innovative products, high-end applications, and sustainable solutions for a better tomorrow. With India strongly emerging as a global manufacturing and value-addition hub, the time is right for the manufacturing sector to close that talent gap with women professionals, who are grossly underrepresented in the industry, and capitalize on their skills, experience, and expertise for business growth. This campaign aims to help women imagine a career in a hard hat with one of the world’s largest aluminium manufacturers, and as a result, apply for various job openings within the company.”

At Vedanta Aluminium, women professionals are thriving in traditionally male-dominated fields such as core operations and technical roles across the business, ranging from metal production, logistics, civil work and railway infrastructure to finance, security, and commodities procurement. All job openings across Vedanta’s Aluminium Business can be accessed at the company’s website: www.vedantaaluminium.com/careers/current-openings/

Since inception, Vedanta Aluminium has strived to address the gender gap prevalent in the metals & mining industry by working on the fundamental pillars of equitable workplace practices, such as:

• All roles are absolutely gender-agnostic, allowing anyone (irrespective of their gender) to be considered for any role in the organisation – from overhead crane operations to smelter operation & maintenance to firefighting, security and more.
• Women, like all employees, are hired for their attitude and willingness to learn, sound educational and technical qualifications.
• The company ensures the best possible training for its employees from global experts, in an ecosystem designed to ensure they are supported at various life stages.
• Most importantly, the job content is rich and meaningful, which ensures that employees have a sharp & interesting learning curve and are motivated to continue.
• The business is at an inflection point which provides opportunities for boundless innovation and new ways of working, allowing for unprecedented learning and a ringside view of global best practices.
• And finally, the company has extensively deployed the world’s best and even emerging technologies, levelling the playing field for all who work in the company.

Embracing gender diversity in all its forms, the company has expanded the ambit of its talent acquisition net to include members of the LGBTQIA plus community. Since last year, the company has hired 14 transgender women who are engaged in the material handling and security functions at its mega aluminium smelters in Jharsuguda (Odisha) and BALCO (Chhattisgarh).

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.27 million tonnes in FY22. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2^nd in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2022 world rankings for aluminium industry, a reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.