Tata Steel on Wednesday said it has initiated the construction of a technical training institute near Gopalpur in Ganjam district of Orissa.

The institute designed by famous architect Charles Correa, is expected to be ready by March 2005.

The construction started in the presence of prominent citizens of Berhampur, including the vice-chancellor of Berhampur university, a spokesperson of Tata Steel said.

The TTI will provided training to enable them to be employable in steel, manufacturing and other industrial sectors in Orissa, the spokesperson said.

He said that while selecting candidates for training, preference would be given to eligible candidates from families rehabilitated during Tata Steel's project at Gopalpur.

The training programme will be modelled along the lines of the Shavak Nanvati Technical Training Institute, Jamshedpur, an institute that has been training people for various steel-related operations at Tata Steel and other steel companies for over eighty years.

Establishment of the TTI will generate opportunities for the people of Orissa and contribute substantially to the human resource needs of the fast-growing steel industry in Orissa, the spokesperson said.