Maruti Suzuki, leader in passenger vehicles, today announced that it will set up a first-of-its-kind Industrial Training Institute in Mehsana, Gujarat. Called “Japan-India Institute of Manufacturing” (JIM), it will go on stream in August 2017 and eventually train 300 youths per year in technical trades and Japanese shopfloor practices.

The JIM will mark the start of a collaboration between the Governments of Japan and India to create a pool of skilled manpower for manufacturing in India. This follows from a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed in Tokyo on November 11th 2016 between Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan (METI) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India (MSDE), for a “Manufacturing Skill Transfer Promotion Programme” to train 30,000 youths in India over 10 years.

The JIM will be run and managed by Maruti Suzuki India Limited as a corporate social responsibility initiative. In addition to the technical curriculum, the JIM will impart training in the best shopfloor practices such as Kaizen and Quality Circles, based on curricula developed in Japan. Maruti Suzuki has committed an initial investment of Rs. 3.2 crores towards setting up the JIM.

On the initiative, MD & CEO, MSIL Kenichi Ayukawa, said, “Maruti Suzuki’s Japan-India Institute of Manufacturing in Mehsana will take forward the vision of the two governments to create a pool of skilled manpower in manufacturing in India. This is another opportunity for Maruti Suzuki to participate in the Indian Government’s ambitious “Make in India” and “Skill India” initiatives. Our effort will be to train youths in the best shopfloor practices so that they find ready employment on shopfloors and in workshops.”

The JIM will offer seven technical courses: Fitter, Electrician, Welder, Mechanic Diesel, Mechanic Motor Vehicle, Mechanic Auto Body Repair and Mechanic Auto Body Painting. All the trades would be certified and approved by NCVT (National Council of Vocational Training).

Key areas of intervention by Maruti Suzuki would include upkeep of the facility as per industry norms, hiring and training of faculty and staff, finalizing curriculum, and end to end execution from admissions to placement of students.