Toyota Kirloskar Motor Upscales Skill Initiatives Across India Organizing Unique Regional Skill Contests

In continuation of its relentless efforts to build a highly skilled ecosystem for Auto Industry in India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) today, organized a seminar for Toyota Technical Education Program (T-TEP) stakeholders followed by a skill contest for the T-TEP instructors in Bangalore. The annual regional level seminar provided a platform for all T-TEP stakeholders to share best practices and standardize operations across T-TEP institute network, whilst the skill contest acted as a motivational engagement for all the T-TEP Instructors.

Organized at the National Manpower Excellence Centre (NMEC), Bangalore in Toyota’s Bidadi plant, the event was graced by Mr. Arun Lakshman, Automotive Skills Development Council – India (ASDC), Mr. Ramaprasad Kalkunte L, Deputy General Manager, Government Tool Room and Training Centre, Bangalore and Mr. Pundareekaksha, Principal, Government Tool Room and Training Centre, Bangalore along with Mr. Tadao Kidokoro, Vice President, Toyota Kirloskar Motor in the presence of stakeholders including TTEP Instructors, Supplier Partners, ITI/Diploma Instructor & Principal from institutes and institutional dignitaries. This year, three regional T-TEP seminars are being conducted across the country, in Bangalore (Southern region), Manesar (Northern & Eastern region) and Pune (Western region).

The seminar, acting as a common platform for all the stakeholders including TKM personnel, T-TEP Institutes, Dealer partners and Supplier partners, provided a unified platform for exchanging best practices and challenges with regard to T-TEP operations and its training modules. The event also witnessed TTEP Instructor presenting innovative ideas to promote the Kaizen (continuous improvement) culture among all the participating stakeholders.

Expressing his views on the occasion, Mr. Tadao Kidokoro, Vice President, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “With the ever-evolving customer needs, dynamic regulatory environment, emerging technology trends, there is a huge demand for newer and advanced competencies and skill levels in the industry. The shortage of skilled workforce continues to be a matter of concern, making skill-based learning of paramount importance for better employability. Through Toyota Technical Training Program, we aim to upscale quality

technical training in the Indian Auto Industry. Our focus is not only to support rising demand for skilled manpower, but to match the skill requirements by nurturing the talent to be future-ready to meet the industry requirements.

He further added, “Quality is synonymous with brand Toyota and we try to instill this in our programs and initiatives. Hence, this program is not only restricted to students but is also for the T-TEP Instructors, who with the help of the program, are trained and certified by TKM. Through this initiative, we are able to convene talent under one roof, identify the gaps that may exist and train them to overcome unique skill barriers thus making them market-relevant.”

This holistic program also hosted a skill contest, an interactive activity for all the T-TEP Instructors Divided into four categories General Repair, Automotive Body Repair, Automotive Paint Repair and Service Advisor . The participants were evaluated on presentation skills and basic automotive knowledge in their respective categories. The top winners of the contest were certified by the Toyota’s senior management for each of the respective categories.

Launched in 2006, T-TEP is a special training module aligned with Government of India’s ‘Skill India Mission’. Under this initiative, Toyota has associated with 49 ITI/Diploma institutes across 17 states in India, benefitting over 8000 students till date. The program is aimed at educating and providing technical training with hands-on real time experience to ITI students in Toyota dealer outlets. In its first year, the program was implemented in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Hubli. The program was subsequently introduced nation-wide covering Bengaluru, Mysuru, Lalru, Pune, Cochin, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Ghaziabad, Kolkata, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Indore, Vizag, Ludhiana, Cuttack, Haldwani, Nalbari, Gurgaon, Satara, Paramakudi, Chalakudy, Mangaluru, Calicut & Nashik.

T-TEP is widely recognized across the globe for its effectiveness. The program has been successfully introduced in 508 institutes across 55 countries by Toyota, which includes USA, Australia, Italy, South Africa, China, Vietnam and India.