Swan Defence and Heavy Industries Ltd (SDHI) announced plans to hire over 550 additional employees across white-collar and blue-collar roles by March 2027. According to the company's statement, the shipyard is actively strengthening its teams across new build, repair, and refit operations, including project management, naval design, supply chain management, heavy fabrication, and civil works. The recruitment drive spans a diverse spectrum of corporate, technical, and shop floor disciplines, with the company also seeking skilled workers in specialised trades, including precision welding, structural fitting, and complex pipework installations. The company has more than doubled its workforce in 18 months and is targeting over 550 further hires, while also ramping up hiring for specialised skilled trades such as precision welding, fitting, and pipework. As reported by PTI, the company is aggressively scaling up its human capital reserves as it expands its core operations encompassing new build shipbuilding, vessel repairs, and extensive refit projects.
Beyond its own workforce expansion, SDHI indicated that the scaled execution of ongoing projects is estimated to create at least 5,000 jobs over the next two to three years through vendor and supply chain partners. This broader employment creation will provide additional opportunities within the maritime ecosystem, supporting the company's growth initiatives and aligning with India's expanding shipbuilding capacity and blue economy footprint. The enterprise estimates that its expanding project pipeline will trigger the creation of at least 5,000 additional jobs over the next two to three years through its extensive vendor network and regional supply-chain partners, providing a strong economic impetus to the local industrial ecosystem.
Last year, the shipyard launched SWAVALAMBAN, a structured training initiative backed by the government and academia, to build a skilled, self-reliant domestic maritime workforce. The programme integrates sourcing, pre-onboarding, technical induction, mentorship, and shop floor deployment into a single unified talent journey, addressing the need for skilled maritime professionals. More than 100 graduate, postgraduate and diploma engineers and industrial technicians have completed training under the programme, with SDHI reporting that the initiative has reduced the time taken to transition trainees from classrooms to shop floors by at least 30 per cent. The programme was developed in consultation with multiple government bodies including the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the Directorate of Employment & Training under the Gujarat government, the Gujarat Maritime Board, the Indian Maritime University, and 11 partner Industrial Training Institutes. Marking the success of SWAVALAMBAN ahead of World Maritime Day on September 24, SDHI announced that over 100 graduate, postgraduate, diploma engineers, and industrial technicians have already completed training under the framework.
The SWAVALAMBAN programme was developed in consultation with multiple government bodies including the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the Directorate of Employment & Training under the Gujarat government, the Gujarat Maritime Board, the Indian Maritime University, and 11 partner Industrial Training Institutes. The initiative has introduced a structured shipbuilding-specific curriculum co-developed with the Indian Maritime University, combining academic instruction with hands-on shop-floor experience. SDHI currently conducts specialised maritime courses across the 11 participating ITIs, demonstrating how shipyards, government bodies and educational institutions can work together to translate policy objectives into operational execution. The initiative also introduced India's first structured, shipbuilding-specific curriculum, co-developed with the IMU, combining rigorous academic instruction with hands-on shop floor experience.
Rear Admiral Vipin Kumar Saxena (retd), CEO of Swan Defence and Heavy Industries, emphasized that the company needs to invest in human capital alongside physical infrastructure to support India's ambition of becoming a global maritime powerhouse. The hiring initiative comes as India expands its shipbuilding capacity and blue economy footprint, aligning with the government's Maritime India Vision 2030 target of creating 28 million maritime jobs. Saxena stated that "structured, industry-aligned training can dramatically accelerate technical readiness without compromising safety or quality," with SDHI's partnerships aimed at developing skilled professionals for its shipbuilding and heavy engineering operations. The success of SWAVALAMBAN proves that through strong ecosystem partnerships, the company is actively cultivating skilled professionals who will form the backbone of its growing shipbuilding and heavy engineering operations. As India expands its shipbuilding capacity and blue economy footprint, developing an industry-ready workforce remains a critical national priority, aligning directly with the Government of India's target of creating 28 million maritime jobs under the Maritime India Vision 2030.
