Evaluating Talent Development Strategies for Attracting, Retaining, and Upskilling a Skilled Workforce in the Defense Sector of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Particularly in cities like Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India's "Make in India" campaign—which seeks to increase local production and lower reliance on foreign imports—depends greatly on the military industry. This study assesses how well talent development initiatives in Jabalpur's military sector attract, retain, and raise the competency of educated people. Combining an exploratory analytical technique with stratified random sampling, this effort produced a 400-responder sample size. The statistical instruments applied to evaluate how years of experience and gender affected attitudes on initiatives for talent development were chi-square testing and ANOVA. The results revealed obvious differences; people with more experience felt more favourably of talent development programs. The Chi-square test revealed a statistically significant correlation between gender and access to career development opportunities, with men reporting more access than women and people of other genders. These findings demonstrate the necessity for the defense sector to implement staff development initiatives that are more comprehensive and equal.