Driving Change: Tata Motors’ Initiative Empowers Marginalized Youth with Automotive Skills
Mumbai, July 15, 2024: In a significant stride towards building a skilled workforce for the automotive industry, Tata Motors, in collaboration with Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), has established ‘Automotive Skill Labs’ in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) across India. This program nurtures approximately 4,000 students annually, with a commendable 30% of the enrollees being girls, highlighting its gender-inclusive approach.
The initiative has set up 25 fully-equipped labs in select JNVs located in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. These labs aim to provide secondary and senior secondary students (from 9th to 12th grade) with essential automotive knowledge, practical skills, and industry exposure, all in alignment with the vocational courses outlined in the National Education Policy 2020.
Students participating in the program gain hands-on experience through visits to Tata Motors’ plants, interactions with service and dealership professionals, and lectures by industry experts. Instructors at these labs receive specialized training at Tata Motors’ facilities, ensuring they are well-prepared to guide the students. A notable achievement of the program is the construction of an E-Rickshaw by students at the Skill Lab in Pune, showcasing the practical skills they acquire.
Upon completing the program, students receive joint certificates from Tata Motors and NVS. They can then pursue a Diploma in Manufacturing Technology, with a full stipend and on-the-job training at Tata Motors’ manufacturing facilities. Alternatively, students can opt for a BTech in engineering through a 3.5-year executive education program in collaboration with select engineering institutes, leading to permanent employment with Tata Motors after five years.
Vinod Kulkarni, CSR Head at Tata Motors, emphasized the program’s impact, stating, “Our Automotive Skill Labs empower youngsters from underserved communities with employable skills relevant to the evolving automotive sector in India. This initiative creates pathways for students in grades 9th to 12th to pursue higher education and secure employment opportunities. Contributing to the ‘Skill India Mission,’ this program instills innovative thinking, an entrepreneurial spirit, an analytical mindset, and critical communication skills among students. The enthusiastic participation of girl students reinforces our commitment to fostering future leaders who will elevate India’s global standing as envisioned by Viksit Bharat @2047.”
In 2023, over 1,600 students from this program participated in the National Automobile Olympiad organized by the Automotive Skill Development Council (ASDC), with 17 students advancing to the second stage of the competition.
