Tata Motors has initiated a unique upskilling program, and as part of this, the company’s subsidiary, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Limited, is sending 617 former employees of Ford from the Sanand facility back to college for their diploma and B.Tech courses.
The carmaker has set up a special upskilling course at the former Ford facility. Tata Motors initially offered welcome letters to all former employees to rejoin under the same package and benefits, however, out of around 950 employees, only 617 employees accepted the offer.
Around 440 employees were ITIs and they have now been enrolled in diploma courses. Sitaram Kandi, Vice-President, HR, Passenger, and Electric Vehicles, during his visit to Sanand, said, “This is the first time we are sending such a huge number of employees to the college for higher education.”
According to Kandi, the production lines are being set up and once they are operational, it will become more like an earn-while-you-learn program for the employees. He said that all employees will be earning in full and they have no obligatory paperwork to sign.
Workers who have done one year of ITI will undergo a three-year diploma course, while those who have done two years of ITI will undergo a one-year course. The courses are offered by Ganpat University, under an MoU signed with Tata Motors. Also, since most employees are locals, the medium of instruction will be a mix between English and Gujarati.
Kandi said, “We have created classrooms like a university within the manufacturing plant so that the workers will not have to go out. Here we will have the classroom session. For practical sessions, they will travel to the University.”
The employees enrolled in this program are studying subjects such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry, along with advanced technology-related subjects, such as sensors and control engineering, mechatronics, EV Technology and E-powertrain design.
