Vedanta’s campaign to promote women in metal and mining industry

It inventively visualises the company’s female experts in futuristic environments using artificial intelligence.

The largest aluminium manufacturer in India, Vedanta Aluminium, has introduced a captivating social media campaign on women in metals and mining called #TheFutureOfMetAL before International Women’s Day in 2024. It uses short videos and generative AI to inspire more women to consider fulfilling professions in these fields. The campaign is in reaction to industry initiatives to boost the proportion of women in various fields. These initiatives have advanced slowly, mostly because of ingrained prejudices and a dearth of acceptable role models.

The #TheFutureOfMetAL campaign approaches this problem in two original ways. First of all, it presents the sector as a desirable travel destination for female professionals in their early careers. In addition, it offers a “slice of life” view of individuals presently in charge of Vedanta Aluminium’s main activities, showcasing positive role models who are staff members, to enable more women to envision what a career in the field would entail. By implementing these efforts, Vedanta Aluminium hopes to achieve its objective of having at least one-third of its workforce female.

The “Women of Mettle” campaign’s first section features several short films that highlight young, accomplished women in key positions at Vedanta Aluminium. They are going above and beyond by working the night shift equally with their male coworkers, which is unique to India. In the second section, dubbed “The Future Female Series,” female professionals from the company’s major departments—mine operations, metal production, plant management, asset protection, and power generation—are highlighted. It shows these workers moving from their current environments to a technologically sophisticated future using generative artificial intelligence (AI), signifying how their jobs will continue to be aspirational even in the future.

The campaign’s themes are important because women are still disproportionately underrepresented in the manufacturing, mining, and metals industries. Because of the world’s accelerated energy transition and India’s rapid economic growth, which necessitates a future heavy on metals, these businesses are predicted to increase enormously. Vedanta Aluminium is likewise actively growing its operations to meet this increasing demand. It will cause the number of new career paths in these industries to soar. They do, however, confront a growing talent gap, largely due to false beliefs that employment in these fields requires physical labour—a notion that has been disproved by the development of automation and robotics as well as better workflows.

In this regard, the manufacturing industry is depicted more accurately by #TheFutureofMetAL. With an industry-high percentage of female employees already, Vedanta Aluminium wants to guarantee that half of all new hires are female. Numerous individuals may be encouraged to consider jobs in manufacturing by the suitable role models now on its roster. Based on the positive experiences of its female workers, the campaign is a distinctively creative tribute to the growing number of women working in a vital and rapidly expanding field, advocating for increased gender representation.

Sharing his views, John Slaven, CEO, of Vedanta Aluminium, says, “At Vedanta Aluminium, we are building an environment primed for high performance and innovation. Boosting female participation in our teams provides us with invaluable access to a wider spectrum of opinions and perspectives. This in turn provides for well-rounded decision-making, enables us to cater to diverse markets and ensures superior customer service. Addressing the gender gap doesn’t just make solid business sense, it also allows for equitable and sustainable growth.”

Vedanta Aluminium has implemented many measures to increase the involvement of women in its sector. It is the first in Odisha to put female workers on the night shift, increasing the chances for them. Furthermore, the organisation has implemented flexible work schedules to assist its staff members at various phases of their lives. Additionally, they live in townships close to factories, where they have easy access to first-rate facilities including gyms, shopping centres, movie theatres, stadiums, swimming pools, schools, hospitals, and creches. These amenities are essential for a healthy family and community life.

For more info visit: http://www.vedantaaluminium.com

20