Vedanta’s young talent fuels transformation as India’s largest aluminium producer

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 13, 2025

Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest aluminium producer, marked International Youth Day by celebrating the dynamism and innovation of its young workforce, which is redefining manufacturing, sustainability, and technology across its operations in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh. With an average employee age of just 31 and 65 per cent of its workforce under the age of 35, Vedanta Aluminium is among the youngest industrial employers in the country. The company’s strong commitment to nurturing youth is evident in its hiring patterns, with 93 per cent of recent recruits being fresh graduates or early-career professionals.

Through pioneering talent development initiatives, Vedanta Aluminium is fast-tracking the leadership journey of young professionals. The year-long V-Campus programme equips new joiners with both technical and leadership skills, while Role Model Campus Minds identifies high-potential Gen Z talent for accelerated leadership roles. The company’s V-Aspire initiative has digitally assessed over 3,000 employees, including conducting AI-led interviews for more than 1,500 participants. Its 3x3x3 Career Growth Framework grooms future-ready leaders by offering rotations across three roles, three locations, and three-year stints, and AI-powered learning platforms are creating personalised upskilling pathways to fuel innovation.

Highlighting the pivotal role of youth in driving transformation, Rajiv Kumar, CEO, Vedanta Aluminium, said, “At Vedanta Aluminium, our young workforce is the driving force behind our transformation. From pioneering green aluminium solutions to deploying AI and digital technologies at scale, our talent is reshaping manufacturing for a sustainable and self-reliant India. They bring fresh perspectives, digital fluency, and a deep sense of purpose that’s reshaping how we operate and innovate. They are the changemakers behind Vedanta 2.0, whose efforts will certainly position aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’.

This new generation of professionals is at the forefront of low-carbon green aluminium production, AI-driven operations, and IIoT-powered manufacturing. Young engineers are optimising processes through AI Command Centres and digital twin technologies, while innovation sprints led by youth now contribute to 60 per cent of the company’s AI and machine learning breakthroughs. The organisation has also produced many industry leaders, with alumni now holding senior leadership positions in top companies across India.

Beyond its own workforce, Vedanta Aluminium’s youth-oriented community programmes are creating ripples of change. Project Panchhi enables young women from underserved regions to join core operations after supporting their higher education. Nand Ghar has transformed Anganwadis into modern, technology-enabled centres for women and children. In Lanjigarh, Odisha, the company’s flagship sports initiative has been nurturing young archers from the Kalahandi district, while the DAV Vedanta International School — Kalahandi’s first English-medium school — is bringing quality education to the region.

As India’s largest aluminium producer, manufacturing 2.42 million tonnes in FY25 — more than half of the country’s total output — Vedanta Aluminium is also a global leader in value-added aluminium products for critical industries. Ranked second worldwide in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2024 for the aluminium sector, the company is committed to making aluminium the “Metal of the Future” for a greener tomorrow. Through its young and ambitious workforce, Vedanta Aluminium is not only powering industrial excellence but also shaping a sustainable, self-reliant future for the nation.