NEW DELHI: Maruti Suzuki’s skill development initiative, the Japan India Institute for Manufacturing (JIM) in Mehsana, Gujarat – was recognized at a forum recently in Delhi.
Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, presented the award to Maruti Suzuki. JIM, set up and managed by Maruti Suzuki, has recorded 100 percent placement for its first batch of students. All students are offered jobs by reputed organizations in the auto sector.
Indian automobile industry is witnessing expansion of production capacities, sales & service networks that will create demand for skilled youth. Maruti Suzuki undertakes skill development as an important pillar of intervention under Corporate Social Responsibility.
Maruti Suzuki works with over 110 Government ITIs across India to improve quality of skill training imparted at these institutes. Higher focus is laid on driving behavioral change among youth. The intervention enables youth to acquire relevant skills making it easier to avail the growing employment opportunities in the automobile industry.
Following an agreement between the Governments of Japan and India to create a pool of 30,000 skilled manpower for manufacturing in India, the JIM was set up by Maruti Suzuki at A. S. Patel (Pvt.) Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Ganpat University in 2017-18.
This model ITI offers courses in eight trades related to automobile manufacturing, maintenance and services. Some of the unique features of the institute are mini-vehicle assembly line, safety lab, virtual welding simulators and spot welding guns. Most of these infrastructure are beyond the prescribed requirements for an ITI, but are industry relevant.
In addition to the technical curriculum, the JIM offers add-on training in Japanese shop floor practices, soft skills, interview skills, English language and safety. Association for Overseas Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Partnerships (AOTS), Japan, along with Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan has developed the soft skills curriculum for JIM.
