Bengaluru — Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) just added two more trophies to its ever-growing cabinet of excellence, this time from the Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025. The company drove home not one, but two Kaushalya Karnataka Awards — proving that when it comes to skilling India’s youth, Toyota doesn’t just make cars; it builds futures.
TKM bagged the Corporate Excellence Award in Skilling (Large Industries Category) and the Kaushalya Karnataka Award for Best Institution in Skill Competitions for its flagship Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI). The recognition came during the state’s prestigious Skill Summit, organized by the Government of Karnataka and the Karnataka Skill Development Corporation (KSDC), where leaders, educators, and innovators celebrated India’s growing prowess in skill-building.
The event at The Lalit Ashok was graced by Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil, Minister for Medical Education & Skill Development, along with several dignitaries who lauded the role of institutions like TKM in shaping a skilled, self-reliant India.
For Toyota, this wasn’t just another award ceremony — it was validation of its philosophy: “Grow India and Grow with India.”
Through its Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) — established in 2007 inside the company’s Bidadi plant — Toyota has been quietly nurturing technical brilliance and discipline among rural youth. The result? Over 1,400 graduates, a 100% placement record, and alumni who’ve clinched Medallions of Excellence at WorldSkills 2024 in Lyon, France.
But the story doesn’t stop at Bidadi. Programs like Toyota Kaushalya, T-TEP (Toyota Technical Education Program), and the Global Skill-Up Program have expanded TKM’s skilling ecosystem beyond borders. More than 1,000 Indian trainees have trained in Japan under the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) — making Toyota not just a manufacturer, but a mobility bridge between nations.
Receiving the award, G. Shankara, Executive Vice President – Finance and Administration, TKM, said with a mix of pride and practicality,
“At Toyota, we see skill development as nation-building on wheels. Around sixty percent of our training goes into discipline, safety, respect, and civic sense — the stuff that doesn’t need an engine, but drives society forward. The rest polishes craftsmanship — that Japanese Takumi touch of mastery and excellence.”
Beyond the factory floors, Toyota’s partnership with the Government of Karnataka has upgraded over 100 ITIs, modernized workshops, trained faculty, and even brought vocational education to 800 students across seven districts through Samagra Shikshana Karnataka.
And if that weren’t enough, Toyota’s skilling legacy now covers 1,40,000 youth across India — each a walking, talking testament to the belief that “industrial progress and social progress must always travel in the same lane.”
So while Toyota may be known for building some of the world’s most reliable vehicles, this time it’s the company’s role in “driving India’s human engine” that truly stole the show at the Bengaluru Skill Summit.
After all, in the road to Viksit Bharat, Toyota seems to be not just steering — but teaching others how to drive.
