(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Private Industrial Training Institute in Chinchwad, a part of Pune Metropolitan City in the state of Maharashtra, India, has recently developed a partnership with Mercedes-Benz to develop the Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Center. The center aims to help youth develop advanced technical skills so they can seek a career in the competitive automotive service sector.

Selected candidates into the program will have an opportunity to learn and train with the latest equipment including a Mercedes-Benz C-Class provided by the company. This one-of-a-kind course falls in line with Skill India, an initiative which aims to improve the skill set of India’s youth and create a highly-skilled workforce. This new training center will also provide Mercedes-Benz a skill labor force, which plays a crucial role in excellent customer service.

According to an AutoCarPro report, Roland Folger, MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India spoke at the inauguration of the center and said, “India is rich in its manpower, but opportunities and facilities that train and gainfully employ them are few. On the other hand, growth in the automotive industry, changing technology, a burgeoning economy, a larger disposable income and lowering the first-hand lifecycle of cars have triggered a huge demand for skilled technicians and that of upskilling in the sector. The partnership with Mercedes-Benz and Don Bosco through this Advanced Auto Body Parts Training Center will remain an important milestone towards modernization, practical relevance and flexibility of vocational education and training in Maharashtra.”

The one-year course will train 21 students per graduating class at the Don Bosco Institute facility. The course is based on the institute’s standard auto body repair technician courses with the addition of advanced level training on Mercedes-Benz cars and equipment. The successful candidates will be awarded a trade certificate along with a joint advanced training certificate issued by Don Bosco and Mercedes-Benz India. The courses instructors are trained at Mercedes-Benz India training facility and also at select Mercedes-Benz dealerships. After graduation, successful candidates will have an opportunity to work at one of the Mercedes-Benz dealerships across the country.

“We applaud Mercedes-Benz India for undertaking this noble initiative of supporting us in establishing this Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Center,” says Father Corils Gonsalves, director of the Don Bosco Institute according to the AutoCarPro article. “This initiative will help many youth, who may not have a sound financial background to build a career in the automotive industry.”

Access to professional training and workforce development services is highly valued by youth in India given the current state of the country’s economy. According to the International Labor Organization’s Global Employment Trends 2015 Report, India experienced a sharp slowdown in the economy during 2012 and 2013 when growth dropped below 5 percent. The economy grew slightly faster in 2014 reaching 5.4 percent, reflecting an improvement in the growth rate of the services sector and a better monsoon season than originally anticipated. However, the unemployment rate for youth is remaining flat after having risen 3.6 percent in 2012 and again climbed in 2013 to 3.7 percent.

With more than 1.2 billion people, India has the world’s fourth largest economy and according to UNICEF, is home to one-third of the world’s poor. Close to 217 million of India’s poor are children. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, too many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources

AutoCarPro India – Mercedes-Benz India teaches ’em young

Don Bosco Chinchwad

International Labour Organization – World Employment Social Outlook 2015

UNICEF – India