How AI-powered NTPC is prioritising people and upskilling for the future

TRADITIONALLY, public sector undertakings (PSUs) are not known to be nimble on their feet or early adopters. But in recent times a bunch of PSUs has shown that they are very much in step with the times. Power generation PSU NTPC Limited is one of them. For instance, its human resources department has rolled out some key employee engagement initiatives such as an in-house incubation initiative for startups, a talent competition, a professional circle and a suggestion scheme.

“These platforms give individuals the opportunity to enhance their personal growth and, at the same time, contribute to the organisation,” says Anil Kumar Jadli, director (HR), NTPC Ltd. In an attempt to hone the startup skills of its employees, the PSU has set up NTPC Ideathon, a business incubation initiative. “NTPC Ideathon has been introduced as a step towards promoting an internal startup ecosystem... It encourages internal innovators with an entrepreneurial mindset to come up with new ideas [and] to convert them into products and solutions, supporting NTPC to grow its emerging business or to address challenges in the existing business,” says Jadli.

Second, under the NTPC Open Competition for Executive Talent — an organisational learning initiative that is held in the form of a three-tier competition — various in-house teams participate. “The participating teams are free to choose a theme/topic of their choice that they consider relevant to the business. The teams are encouraged to present fresh and innovative ideas for meeting the challenges and capitalising upon the opportunities before the company,” Jadli explains.

Then there is the professional circle initiative that helps promote the career growth of executives through knowledge sharing. And the suggestion scheme is intended to direct the creative ideas of employees into useful channels and give them an opportunity for constructive thinking. The scheme recognises individual ingenuity and creativity.

The PSU’s employee value proposition of ‘People before PLF’ (plant load factor, a measure of the capacity utilisation of a power plant) is enabling NTPC to get the best out of a multi-generational workforce. While 49% employees are Gen X, millennials make up 45%, and around 6% are GenZ. “NTPC is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment and creating an inclusive workplace and work culture in which all employees are treated equally,” Jadli says.

This focus on employees has helped NTPC grab the second spot in Fortune India’s Future-ready Workplaces study this year.

The PSU has also deployed AI to address employee needs. “NTPC has deployed AMBER by inFeedo (an AI bot) for understanding, on a real-time basis, the employee experience in order to further strengthen its systems during the moments that matter,” Jadli says.

AMBER has intelligent conversations with employees to identify those who are unhappy, disengaged or about to leave. “AMBER’s conversational AI and people analytics capabilities have helped NTPC in understanding how the employees really feel, uncovering the real sentiment and gaps, especially for top talent, and has contributed towards retention of employees,” Jadli says.

Plus, the PSU also uses experiential learning. “Considering our operations, we introduced simulators, including remote simulators, for training our executive trainees and operation executives on all possible emergency situations,” says Jadli, adding that this enabled experiential learning with no risk of accident and time and cost savings. “While we have deployed VR modules. AR modules are under preparation,” says the HR head, adding that the PSU has also introduced AI-based VR welding simulators to train welders.

NTPC is also leveraging AI to improve employees’ communication skills. It has put in place the AI-powered uSpeek to improve the communication skills of participants of its Foundation Course (a mandatory planned intervention for executives at the E5 or manager level).

“The application provides real-time feedback on body language, vocal tone and word power, and customised learning lessons,” says Jadli, adding that the PSU has also introduced its AI-based Jyoti chatbot to address HR-related queries from employees. “We are also looking at leveraging AI for ensuring a more agile recruitment process,” Jadli says.

With the focus being firmly on people, and technology as its ally, NTPC is ready for the future.