Ahead of International Women’s Day 2024, Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, announced that it is on track to achieving a ratio of 30% women employees on its rolls by the end of FY25. Notably, the milestone is set to arrive 5 years sooner than the company’s stated target of 2030, with women professionals already comprising 22% of the total number of employees at Vedanta Aluminium. This is significant as women are most under-represented in the metals & mining industry worldwide.

It comes on the back of Vedanta Aluminium increasing the avenues for intake of women employees and broadening the number of opportunities available to them, such as those in the night shift. This is in turn supported by gender-agnostic roles with rich job content, a blend of progressive workplace policies, and a slew of world-class amenities. Together, they have led to a substantial increase in the number of women professionals opting to join the company, often in core functions such as smelting, mining, power generation, civil infrastructure, logistics, finance, asset security, and materials procurement.

Vedanta Aluminium has been actively working to address the gender gap in the metals and mining industry through equitable workplace practices. The sector is poised to become one of the prime drivers of India's economic growth. With the advent of Industry 4.0 technologies, igitalization, robotics and automation which have largely negated the need for physically demanding efforts, the sector has become increasingly appealing to job-seekers. It now offers high-growth opportunities in modern manufacturing, energy transition, sustainability practices and the development of 'green' solutions for low-carbon economies. Together, they represent a plethora of fresh career options in an industry that is rapidly advancing with the times.

Highlighting the need for greater participation of women professionals in the industry, Mr. John Slaven, CEO, Vedanta Aluminium said, “As the world pivots to a low-carbon economy towards building a sustainable planet, the future is going to be metal-intensive. The global manufacturing industry must invest in women professionals to accelerate its evolution, which can only come about through improved diversity and inclusive practices. These offer us the advantage of benefiting from diverse perspectives, directly resulting in better decision- making, well-rounded offerings for diverse markets, and superior customer service.” Ms. Suneela MVS, Head – Project Management Office, Growth Projects, BALCO, said, “Working at Vedanta Aluminium offers women professionals the assurance of equal access to opportunities. This has been truly empowering in terms of encouraging me to advance my career and explore new ambitions.” Lt Col Hemant Raghav, Head – Plant Security, Vedanta Jharsuguda, added, “Women today are freer than ever to become accomplished at anything they set their minds to, whether as part of the armed forces or the manufacturing industry. By encouraging the wider industry to move its hiring lens to capability alone, Vedanta Aluminium provides women employees the springboard needed to advance their careers.”

Vedanta Aluminium offers supportive workplace policies such as a spouse hiring policy, a year-long sabbatical to help take care of infant children, and flexible working hours. Additionally, the company has introduced night shifts for women at its Odisha operations through the ‘Shree Shakti’ initiative, among the first in the state to do so. In addition to progressive policies, employees live in world-class townships offering all modern amenities within proximity to the plants. The townships have facilities such as schools, hospitals, day care centres, creches, places of worship, movie theatres, stadiums, recreation centres, gyms, and swimming pools – all of which support a vibrant family lifestyle.

Vedanta Aluminium is complementing these efforts with innovative recruitment initiatives such as ‘Project Panchhi’. The project seeks to transform the lives of 1000 young girls from marginalized communities across rural India, by offering them financial support in pursuing higher education and providing them with job opportunities at Vedanta upon successful completion.

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.29 million tonnes in FY23. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the 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.