Pipeline to Possibilities: Skills to Succeed, Empower to Prosper

The training opened with expectation setting and an introduction to the City Gas Distribution industry. Students learned not only what the program would cover, but also how this trade connects to real-world opportunities. From there, the week moved into the basics of plumbing: identifying tools, understanding their functions, and practicing simple operations like filing and sawing. Safety was emphasized as the foundation. What started as unfamiliar territory quickly became an exciting first step into a new world of skills.

The second week built on that foundation with more complex tools and machines. Students got hands-on with drilling machines, chisels, fastening devices, and specialized plumber's equipment like ratchet braces and pipe wrenches. They also practiced how to use taps and tap wrenches. This was the week when tools stopped feeling like objects in a toolbox and began to feel like extensions of their own hands, a clear shift from learning about plumbing to actually becoming plumbers-in-training.

Week three was all about pipes and fittings, the heart of plumbing. From GI and PVC to HDPE and PPR, students explored different materials, their properties, and how they are joined. They learned about elbows, tees, bends, and sockets, as well as thread cutting and bending methods, even experimenting with hot gas welding for plastic pipes. The class moved from flat drawings to the curved, angled, and connected realities of real plumbing systems. It was a week of discovery, where theory took tangible shape in every joint and bend.

The final week of September pushed the trainees to think and work like professionals. They practiced pipe layout from drawings, learned how to dismantle and renew valves, dealt with leaks and noises in pipelines, and tested full assemblies. Alongside these practicals, revision and assessments prepared them for their first formal evaluations. By the end of the week, students were no longer just experimenting. They were demonstrating that they could design, troubleshoot, and solve problems. The confidence in their work spoke louder than words.

Week 5 marked a key shift as trainees deepened their understanding of natural gas systems and the centrality of safety in the industry. They explored the origin, properties, and hazards of natural gas; learned about safety management systems, work permits, PPEs, and ERDMP protocols; and gained clarity on the full gas distribution chain from city gas stations to customer connections. The week concluded with résumé-building and interview preparation, linking technical learning to livelihoods.

Week 6 deepened both classroom and field learning as trainees explored domestic PNG connections, gaining clarity on PRVs, gas meters, taps, and how these components create safe household systems. Trainees moved from diagrams to hands-on practice with pipelines, fittings, and connections. Alongside this, they continued to be mentored on soft skills, helping refine résumés, prepare for interviews, and build digital profiles.

Week 7 marked a decisive shift to field-based learning as trainees worked hands-on with MDPE pipelines—preparing, scraping, aligning, and joining them using electrofusion techniques, while also learning safe and accurate methods for underground pipeline laying. They tackled real-world challenges such as excavation, depth management, and fitting alignment, strengthening both precision and problem-solving. Their ongoing soft-skills sessions complemented the technical work, ensuring trainees advance with both competence and confidence.

This week marked the completion of the classroom phase and the transition to On-the-Job Training (OJT). After two months of intensive learning, from natural gas fundamentals to hands-on MDPE and GI construction techniques, trainees completed their theory, viva, and practical exams, all with strong results. The week opened with a quiet prayer for confidence before exams and closed with an emotional farewell thrown by the students for our faculty, reflecting the deep bonds built during training. With their assessments complete and skills strengthened, trainees now head to different locations across Assam to begin real-world OJT, carrying both technical competence and a strong sense of community.