ThinkLink Learning, in partnership with RTITB UK, has launched a competition to find the safest and most efficient forklift truck operator in India.

The Forklift Operator of the Year - India will recognise and celebrate the skills and working practices of the best forklift truck operators in the country.

"The competition represents an excellent opportunity for warehouses, distribution centres and manufacturing centres to identify themselves and their workforce as pioneers of lift truck-related safety and efficiency in the country," says Saurabh Goyal of ThinkLink Learning.

Open to all forklift operators, the competition aims to recognise and reward highly skilled and safety-conscious operators from all over India.

"Lift truck operators are often blamed for accidents and delays, but Forklift Operator of the Year - India aims to change this, by focusing on the positive impact of the job," adds Laura Nelson, managing director of RTITB. "The country's best operators will compete in practical lift truck challenges, showing how safely and efficiently they operate their lift trucks."

The competition will be conducted over two rounds. The first round, consisting of regional heats, will be held in September, followed by the grand final in October at ThinkLink's Praguna Centre at Dharuhera. Eight national finalists will compete for the title of Forklift Operator of the Year. Entry to the competition is free and ThinkLink is encouraging the employers to nominate their very best lift truck operators.

ThinkLink Learning is the first vocational business in India to be accredited by the UK's leading workplace transport accrediting body, RTITB, and the relationship marks an important change in the approach to skilling in India. The two organisations hope that the introduction of the awards will encourage Indian forklift operators to excel and bring a new sense of pride to the job.