This report shows how HPWWI is shaping next gen woodworking technicians in India, with the objective of bridging the skills gap the nation is suffering from.
India’s manufacturing and construction sectors are among the strongest drivers of growth in the country. Yet, these key sectors face a steep shortage of skilled tradespeople, with industry leaders estimating a lack of about 2 million trained workers in trades like carpentry, plumbing and electrical work. When it comes to the furniture fittings and woodworking industry, the shortage creates a stark gap. Innovations in modular kitchens, CNC-machining and precision installation mean that traditional carpentry skills no longer suffice.
This is the skills gap that government committees, national skilling councils, and industry-led training efforts are working to close. One such institute is the Hettich Poddar WoodWorking Institute (HPWWI). Established in 2016 as a CSR-led initiative of Hettich India, the Faridabad-NCR based HPWWI is shaping next gen woodworking technicians by ‘skilling, upskilling, reskilling’ a talent pool that can bolster the modern woodworking industry.
At its core, HPWWI aims to build a workforce that is skilled to work with modern materials,
precision hardware and digitally controlled machinery. Certified under national skilling schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) and operating in partnership with the Furniture & Fittings Skill Council (FFSC), HPWWI’s curriculum is developed in sync with industry partners to provide training directly on actual machines rather than relying on theoretical instruction.
“At HPWWI, our mission is to create an environment where technology meets craftsmanship and learning leads to livelihood,” said Amit Prasad, Director, HPWWI and CHRO, Hettich India at an industry event.
To support this, the institute operates industry-grade learning environments: air-conditioned classrooms, 1,500+ sft assembly zones, CNC and drilling machines, precision tools, AV demonstration labs, a digital design computer lab and a technical library. Trainees also receive exposure to industry-grade machine and integration CAD/CAM software including Spazio 3D and IMOS. Experienced instructors guide trainees through the full ecosystem of modern woodworking, from design and machine programming to installation and quality standards.
“This is one of the industries which has seen a lot of innovation,” said Prasad. “It keeps
evolving.” Citing the example of CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines, he said that
HPWWI is shaping next gen woodworking technicians by partnering with technology leaders to bring in the latest models to train students on.
Most recently, HPWWI has renewed its partnership with Biesse, an international machinery
manufacturer for the furniture and carpentry industry, through a new MoU that extends
collaboration to its Bhandup, Mumbai campus, the latest after Faridabad. This is the second collaboration between the two which brings advanced Italian woodworking machinery and
training into HPWWI’s centres. It is with efforts like these that HPWWI strengthens the talent pipeline that India’s rapidly modernising furniture and woodworking sector urgently requires.
Skills, Regulation and Industry Evolution
As India’s furniture and fittings sector moves from manual craft to digitally enabled
manufacturing, the need for a formally trained workforce has become imperative. This shift is also being shaped by policy: the government has strengthened the Apprenticeship Act, pushing for higher stipends, and tighter compliance norms to ensure companies invest meaningfully in skilling. At the same time, new Quality Control Orders (QCOs) and BIS standards demand greater precision, safety and consistency, expectations that informal, untrained labour often cannot meet.
In this environment, employers must not just hire skilled technicians but also employ
apprentices who can learn to operate modern machinery and meet regulatory standards.
HPWWI is shaping next gen woodworking technicians by positioning itself at the intersection of this policy-driven skilling requirement, industry demand, and workforce readiness.
HPWWI’s three-tier training architecture addresses workers at different entry points and career stages:
Short-term upskilling — Assistant Woodworking Technician (90 days)
A 3-month intensive course for wood working aspirants that provides foundational skills
required to break into the industry. It mixes classroom theory, weekly industry talks, factory visits and hands-on work on CNCs and panel machines. These cohorts feed directly into employer hiring pipelines.
Adopted ITIs — ITI Woodworking Technician (1 year)
HPWWI has embedded labs and trainers in 10 ITIs across West Bengal, supplying a year-long, industry-aligned curriculum now used by PBSSD and local ITI administrations. More than 200 ITI students are currently in HPWWI-driven programs, ensuring government vocational training meets contemporary shop-floor needs.
Assistant Machine Operator – Panel Works (3 months)
This module from HPWWI provides hands-on experience in operating and maintaining
machinery for technicians, focused on improving technical skills, shortening downtime and
delivering targeted competency upgrades that directly match employer equipment and
workflows.
Since inception, HPWWI has trained over 5,000 students. The Faridabad unit can run three
simultaneous classes of 30 or about 90 trainees per quarter and Mumbai adds two classes of about 60, giving roughly 150 short-term seats per quarter.
While this is a drop in the larger skill shortage ocean, it is nevertheless significant. Around
80–85% of HPWWI-trained students move into full-time employment, often bolstered by the institute’s end-to-end placement assistance, while about 10% venture into entrepreneurship. The dropout rate at the Faridabad centre remains low at 5–10%, compared with significantly higher national averages in vocational programs. For instance, the average dropout rate in ITIs in one district in Tamil Nadu is as high as 30%.
Prasad notes how industry partnerships help with real exposure, provide training at an
international level, and encourage students to stay in the field. Some shift roles, from
woodworking technicians to designer or modular-kitchen specialists, but they remain in the
same ecosystem. Apart from entrepreneurship, many students even go abroad to places like Australia and Canada.
“Outside India, there is a huge demand for this skill set. So they (students) go there, because the skilling we provide is on par with international standards,” said Prasad.
Changing Mindsets: From Carpenter to Woodworking Technician
Beyond machines and opportunities, HPWWI is shaping next gen woodworking technicians by working to change language, and with it, perception, that motivates takers for such skills. The institute deliberately retired the term ‘carpenter’ in favour of ‘woodworking technician’. This shift matters in a country where vocational trades often carry social stigma. A 2023 survey by 3M found that 85% of respondents believe parental pressure and social stigma deter youth from entering skilled trades.
“Language plays a huge role in the way we perceive things,” Prasad said. He recalls community outreach sessions where offering a ‘carpentry course’ drew hesitation, but offering training to become a ‘woodworking technician’ sparked interest. The title signals aspiration, dignity and a professional path, especially for young people from families historically associated with manual carpentry.
HPWWI is also breaking gender barriers and improving regional inclusion. The institute ran the woodworking sector’s first all-female batch (32 students), trained by a female instructor, and opened pathways for women in areas like design, CAD modelling, project management and specification.
The institute is focused on expanding geographically through college tie-ups so that it can
access a larger talent pool. In Indore, for instance, it is developing a woodworking lab on a
campus where Hettich already runs its Tech Academy for employees pursuing BTech degrees. This hub will serve Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring districts, enabling students to train closer to home, reducing costs, and improving regional access to industry-grade skilling.
Eventually, HPWWI plans to scale training through digital modules to improve its reach even further. We will be scaling it up through digital mode, by spreading the wings of HPWWI across India. “We are also evaluating how we can leverage digitalisation and AI with respect to skilling. That is the future,” said Prasad.
Building a National Pipeline, Not Just a Training Centre
India’s ability to position itself as a global furniture manufacturing hub depends on the
country’s ability to plug the acute skill shortage and produce technicians who are comfortable with precision hardware, automated systems and digitally controlled machinery. Meeting this demand will require a network of training efforts, public, private and industry-led, that combine modern equipment, structured curricula and apprenticeship pathways to create a steady pipeline of skilled workers.
HPWWI is one such initiative, offering a model of how industry-aligned, machine-based training can strengthen workforce readiness. Ultimately, India will need many more programs of this kind to close the skills gap and build the talent base required for its next phase of manufacturing growth.
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