Bangalore, September 15, 2022: In a major boost to Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s contribution to the country’s “Skill India” program, Mr Likith Kumar YP, from the company has made the nation proud by winning the bronze medal in Prototype Modelling Skills during the WorldSkills Competition held in Switzerland from 7th to 9th September 2022. Having first been selected through an internal skill competition he went on to win at the District, Zonal, State, Regional levels and at IndiaSkills competition before reaching the WorldSkills arena.
Initiated in 1950, the WorldSkills Competition is the global hub for skills excellence and development through international cooperation and development. It is the global meeting place for government, education, industry, and association leaders to discuss relevant and important issues related to skills management.
The participants were selected through a nationwide screening process under the aegis of National Skill Development Council (NSDC) and Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC). Participants from India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand showcased their skills during the WorldSkills competition. In the Prototype Modelling Skills category India won the bronze, Japan bagged silver and Chinese Taipei received gold.
Mr. Swapnesh R Maru, Executive Vice President, Finance & Administration Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) commented: “Mr Likith’s win at the WorldSkills has given our skill development initiatives a much-needed boost. He is a member of Lexus assembly line at TKM. Toyota is dedicated to developing a self-sufficient and globally competitive value chain through significant efforts and investments in human development. Toyota’s human development efforts stem from the company’s belief that its most valuable asset is its people and these initiatives contribute towards our mission of ‘Producing Happiness for All’ by sharing knowledge and developing young people into world-class technicians. As a result, we believe in promoting skill development as the foundation for realizing Atmanirbhar Bharat. We thank the Government of Karnataka and Government of India for promoting and developing young minds through the Skill India Mission.”
As a part of its commitment towards developing world class skilled workforce for the emerging Indian auto Industry, Toyota in 2007 established the Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) which offers a three-year rigorous full-time training in – Automobile Assembly, Automobile Paint, Automobile Weld and Mechatronics to financially challenged students hailing from rural hinterlands across Karnataka state. This three-year residential training program is fully paid for by TKM and concentrates on holistic development of the trainees by focusing not only on knowledge and skills but also on body and mind development. TTTI is recognized by National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT), Japan-India Institute for Manufacturing (JIM), Automotive Skill Development Council (ASDC) and Directorate General of Training (DGT).
TKM has undertaken a major expansion of TTTI with capacity going up from 200 to 1,200 students (academic batch-wise). This will be a major boost to the existing skill facility in its Bidadi plant with a focus to scale-up students’ skill levels on advanced technology, by Toyota expert trainers (globally certified).
Over the years TKM has trained over 77,360 employable youths through a variety of skill development initiatives. TKM is currently working on establishing one Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in each district of the 31 districts in Karnataka. TKM continues to train trainees in 53 institutes across 22 Indian states through the Toyota Technical Education Program (TTEP). The primary objective of the TTEP initiative is to enhance the student’s skill sets which will strengthen the talent pool from the grass root level and provide opportunities for youth with special focus on rural areas. In addition, Toyota dealers also support by providing On-Job training to these students. TKM also has collaborations with the governments of Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Haryana, New Delhi, and Telangana to provide skill development to students and faculty members. TKM’s skill outreach has grown over the years, resulting in world-class skill champions.