Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has shifted gears from assembling cars to assembling global talent! The company today announced that 100 bright young Indians are all set to zoom off to Japan for the prestigious Global Skill-Up Training (GST) program — not to be confused with the other GST that gives accountants sleepless nights.
The initiative, part of Toyota’s long-standing partnership with the Government of India under the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP), is designed to give these participants a firsthand taste of Toyota’s famed discipline, craftsmanship, and, of course, sushi etiquette. The 11-month training marathon combines classroom learning, practical skill-building, and cultural immersion — so expect as many lessons in teamwork as in chopstick management.
The grand flag-off ceremony was graced by Dr. Sharanaprakash Rudrappa Patil, Karnataka’s Minister for Skill Development, and Ms. Sonal Mishra, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, who jointly applauded the initiative for making Karnataka not just an IT hub, but an “Intelligent Technician” hub too.
Speaking about the program, G. Shankara, Executive Vice President of TKM, quipped,
“This isn’t just training — it’s transformation. Our youth will come back not just as technicians but as ambassadors of kaizen — the Toyota way of continuous improvement — which also applies beautifully to making better chai!”
Dr. Patil added,
“We’re proud to see rural Karnataka talent heading to Japan. Who said you need Silicon Valley to make global professionals when you have Skill Valley right here in Bengaluru?”
Meanwhile, Ms. Sonal Mishra highlighted how the program strengthens India’s “export quality” — not just in cars, but in human skill and excellence.
So far, Toyota Kirloskar Motor has already sent over 1,000 young Indians to global training hubs in Japan, Jordan, Qatar, and Slovakia — creating a small but efficient Indian pit crew across the globe. Under its “Grow India and Grow with India” vision, TKM continues to merge industrial progress with social upliftment — and clearly, that philosophy is cruising smoothly in top gear.
From the Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) to the Toyota Kaushalya programs, over 1.4 lakh youth have already been trained, proving that when Toyota says “Let’s Go Places,” they mean literally — from Karnataka to Kyoto!
