The industrial psychology division was one of the two divisions SITRA started with, during inception in 1956. It had the objective of carrying out research in the area of HR with the aim of maintaining ideal working environments in textile mills. The division was instrumental in conducting many HR conferences which involved eminent personalities of the times to address issues related to HR practices in textile mills. The division was later renamed as the Human relations division and subsequently merged as the Training division.

Another major activity of this division is carrying out training for all levels of personnel – managerial, supervisory and operatives – in textile mills. Many functional programmes based on specific needs of the industry are organised as structured programmes either at SITRA or at mills. Another major training activity of the division is the International Training programme, sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India. SITRA has been offering this programme every year since 1974 and till date more than 1700 participants from more than 75 countries have benefited from it.

Another wing of training division is the Labour Research and Training Centre (LRTC) which was commenced in the year 1982. SITRA was, in fact, the first organisation in the country to start a dedicated department for labour research. The wing has undertaken work relating to engagement of operatives in mills by conducting studies on work load and wok assignments, scientific assessment of right working in spinning mills by workers, impact of wrong practices on quality, wastes and productivity.

With qualified trainers, SITRA has been able to train a vast majority of workers in the spinning industry. The department has brought out some publications on work practices in spinning mills. The department has also been instrumental in the release of multimedia content aiding operatives in spinning mills on right work practices, first in the year 2001 in the form of Video cassettes and CDs and later on, a modified and improved version with all modern machinery, in the form of a DVD, in the year 2011. The multimedia material coves all departments in spinning mills right from blowroom to packing.

The division also helps in scientific recruitment of workmen in textile mills in the form of Aptitude Test Kit as great attention has to be paid by mills to the process of selecting operatives to ensure ‘best fit’ between job requirements on the one hand and the operatives’ personal qualifications on the other. Faulty judgment can have a far reaching impact on the textile mill’s functioning by adversely affecting its labour productivity, waste level, quality of product etc. SITRA’s Aptitude tests are exclusively designed to meet the specific requirements of assessing the aptitude – the capacity or latent ability of an individual to learn and perform a given job if adequate training is provided – of employees to do the expected activities in the various departments of a textile mill. The Tests are so designed to cover operatives of preparatory, spinning and weaving departments by identifying all the psycho-physical altitudinal prerequisites of these jobs.