In a bid to make vocational training closely aligned with industry requirements, country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki plans to upgrade 31 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) to the standards of its Japan-India Institutes for Manufacturing (JIMs) with an investment of close to Rs 100 crore in two years
The JIM is part of joint government initiatives by Japan and India to skill manufacturing-related human resources in India. It combines government-approved ITI courses with industry-specific training, industry-standard equipment and experienced industry trainers to provide government-approved National Trade Certificate ITI programmes as well as short-term industry-focused courses.
The company also aims to increase the female student intake at its Japan-India Institute for Manufacturing at Manesar to 30% by the Academic Year 2028-29 from current 9%, in a bid to enhance women’s participation in the country’s automotive manufacturing workforce.
The company said JIMs provide seven months of industrial exposure under the Dual System of Training, compared with three months under government norms. Students receive more exposure with on-the-job training at Maruti, vendor and dealer facilities, and receive stipends during the training period.
The JIM network currently has 42 institutes across 33 Japanese companies, with a combined annual capacity of 2,902. Maruti Suzuki operates four JIMs, with a total annual capacity of 1,352.
The company said its benchmark for training includes industry-aligned laboratories, industry-specific add-on courses, soft-skills training, industry-experienced trade experts and exposure to industry-like equipment such as mini conveyor lines and paint booths. JIMs also focus on quality and defect identification. The training includes welding, electrical and painting defect identification and prevention.
“Quality of the product can be made only when the people who are producing it have that sense. We try to impart that particular training to these guys so that they are able to identify these defects on the shop floor while they are working here,” said Rahul Bharti, senior executive officer of Corporate Affairs at Maruti Suzuki.