Don Bosco Technical School Shillong partners with Toyota for initiative

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Technical School, located in Shillong, India, with the collaborative support of the Don Bosco Tech Society, inaugurated the first Toyota Technical Education Program in Meghalaya. Salesians are partnering with Toyota Kirloskar Motor with the support of the Automotive Skill Development Council as the key partner for the implementation of the project. The training initiative will educate students from rural areas so that they enhance their skills and strengthen their employability.

Dr. Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh, cabinet minister, stated at the launch event that the initiative will develop highly skilled, employable and future-ready youth. She also expressed confidence that efforts by industry partners like Toyota, aligned with the government of India’s Skill India Mission, will support bridging the existing skills gap and help develop a world-class workforce in Meghalaya.

Vikram Gulati, country head and executive vice president of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “The automotive industry is growing tremendously, and since 2006, the Toyota Technical Education Program has become a benchmark by adopting exceptional training modules, benefiting the automotive service industry and society. Through the initiative, Toyota develops talented youth by equipping them with world-class training on advanced technologies. The collaboration with Automotive Skill Development Council and Don Bosco Technical School will strengthen the talent pool from the grass root level and provide opportunities for youth with a special focus on rural areas.”

Explaining the need for the partnership, Father Arcadius Puwein, principal of Don Bosco Technical School, said, “With advancements in technology in the auto industry and unprecedented growth in motorization, we need to ensure that the consumers receive the best-in-class services, especially in rural areas. To align with this requirement, we will need highly skilled technicians, making it imperative that students at technical training centers have access to advanced technologies and gain hands-on training experience. With this collaboration, students at Don Bosco Technical School will understand Toyota’s values, best practices, and advanced technologies to benefit the students and the entire industry, thereby contributing toward the Skill India Mission.”

Through a variety of similar training initiatives, Don Bosco Tech Society has educated more than 441,000 youth in the country and continues to diversify programs to ensure youth have access to the skills they need for employment.

India has the world’s fourth largest economy but more than 22% of the country lives in poverty. About 31% of the world’s multidimensionally poor children live in India, according to a report by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.

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

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Photo courtesy of Don Bosco South Asia

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