Bangalore, January 18 , 2021.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to develop skills among youth under the Flexi-MoU Scheme of the Government of India.

Toyota Koushalya

The program titled Toyota Koushalya will take forward the MoU by focusing on developing students at the Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI). The institute imparts world-class skills training to youth from economically weaker sections of the society from rural areas of Karnataka. Under the Flexi-MoU scheme, TKM is identified as Industrial Training Provider (ITP) to develop skilled human resources for manufacturing companiesand first-time entrepreneurs.

Ms. Neelam Shami Rao, Director, Directorate General of Training, Government of India, says, “The Flexi-MoU scheme is designed to cater to the needs of both the industry and the trainees. The scheme allows industries to train candidates as per their skill set requirements and provides trainees with an industry environment aligned with the market demand and latest technology. We are glad to partner with Toyota to develop youth as skilled and industry-ready employable technicians.”

Learn and Earn

Toyota Koushalya provides an opportunity for the youth to acquire skills relevant to the manufacturing industry and improve their employment potential through a ‘Learn and Earn’ approach consisting a mix of theoretical and On-the-Job Training (OJT). These youth will be trained by supervisors who are Master Trainers in the world-renowned Toyota Production System (TPS). Upon completion of the training, trainees need to take up an exam jointly conducted by DGT and TKM as per DGT guidelines and Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) to get certified.  The program aims at skilling youth who have passed their 10^th standard and facing difficulty in affording higher education. Admissions to the program have already commenced. The two-year training program will be imparted in four trades - automobile welding, automobile assembly, automobile painting and mechatronics.

‘Toyota Way’ Philosophy: Beacon for People Development

Apart from the Toyota Koushalya program, Toyota has been imparting ‘Lifelong Learning’ to its employees to help them achieve their fullest potential.People are the most important asset of Toyota. Hence, developing people forms the fulcrum of the company’s philosophy. ‘Toyota Way’ focuses on becoming betterby sharpening the skills of every person and continue the quest for improvement by encouraging both incremental and breakthrough innovative thinking.

“To manufacture quality products, any company can establish good processes, best-in-class equipment and infrastructure. But what makes Toyota unique is its philosophy of developing quality people. Toyota focuses on developing its people, who in turn establish good processes, offer ever-better products and services, thereby achieving customer delight,” says G Shankara, Vice President, HR and Services, TKM.

How TKM Develops People?

TKM has invested heavily in TTTI and Gurukul skill development centre. Training centres at Toyota have developed globally certified master trainers whohone the skills of employees as they move up their career ladder.

"We believe that the success of Toyota comes from our people. We are a people-oriented company. In this perspective, we take care of the holistic well-being of every member by developing their skill, knowledge and attitude from a mid-to-long-term perspective," says Shankara.

He adds, “We impart experiential learning workshops wherein all employees can set their career and life goals even beyond their retirement.We take the ambition of every employee seriously. We develop the employees in such a way that they can achieve their career aspiration and achieve self-realization. For example, we also send them to overseas training in Japan or Thailand if they aspire to become world-class technicians. We develop them in a way that they add value to their peers, family, company and society. It is this people-centric approach that has helped us build quality cars.”