Diversity powers performance at Catalyst Energy: Company college imparts engineering skills to women

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to observe how the Catalyst Energy college of engineering for women has played a significant role in helping to train women in fields such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and power production and so overcome a shortage of qualified women in these fields.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines what gave rise to the diversity initiative at Catalyst Energy’s Ahmedabad plant, India, and the success that it has achieved.

Findings

This paper reveals that, of the first batch of 30 students, in 1995, eight made it to Catalyst Energy. The number has grown every year since then.

Practical implications

It explains that Catalyst is working towards having women make up half its workforce, as it moves away from being dominated by Gujarati males.

Social implications

It touches on some of the reasons that women are under-represented in Indian companies.

Originality/value

It reveals that globalization is a key pressure in encouraging Catalyst to make its workforce more diverse.

Citation

Pande, S. (2014), "Diversity powers performance at Catalyst Energy: Company college imparts engineering skills to women", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 22 No. 6, pp. 10-11. https://doi.org/10.1108/HRMID-08-2014-0113