Pune: German luxury automobile manufacturer Mercedes Benz has inaugurated its ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in India in Chinchwad, Pune. The training centre is aimed at strengthening the technical skill-set for those who want to pursue a career in automotive service sector.
The selected candidates will get an opportunity to hone their technical skill sets with the help of the latest equipment including a Mercedes-Benz car provided by the company. Mercedes-Benz India has spent a total of Rs 26.5 million on the project, and has been done in association with Don Bosco ITI.
Inaugurating the Training Centre, Roland Folger, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, “India is rich in its manpower, but opportunities and facilities that train and gainfully employ them are by far, few. On the other hand, growth in the automotive industry, changing technology, a burgeoning economy, a larger disposable income and lowering first hand life-cycle of cars have triggered huge demand for skilled technicians and that of upskilling in the sector.”
Folger further explained, “The partnership with Mercedes-Benz and Don Bosco through this Advanced Auto Body Parts Training Centre’ will remain an important milestone towards modernization, practical relevance and flexibility of vocational education and training in Maharashtra. The unique aspect of this collaboration will be the continuous engagement of Mercedes-Benz India colleagues in the planning of the syllabus on modern automotive technology, supply of Mercedes-Benz cars for training purposes, training of lecturers and also supply of advanced technical tools and equipment for the students. The Advanced Auto Body Repair course will focus on automotive crash repair and automotive body structure related repair activities, ensuring a well-trained and highly skilled manpower supply in these crucial areas of servicing.”
Speaking on the occasion, Fr Corils Gonsalves, Director Don Bosco Private ITI, said, “We at Don Bosco ITI applaud Mercedes-Benz India for undertaking this noble initiative of supporting us in establishing this Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre. This initiative will help many young aspirants in times to come, who may not have a sound financial background, to build a career in the automotive industry. We are delighted that many students will now find a unique opportunity to build a career, thanks to the automotive icon, Mercedes-Benz.”
The course will be taught at Don Bosco, Chinchwad in Pune, and will be for duration of 1 year with 21 students per batch. An additional 1 month will be utilized for imparting Mercedes-Benz Auto Body Technology knowhow to the students. With the introduction of new safety norms and light weight body construction concepts, technology is evolving across all automotive brands, reported Economic Times Auto.
The successful candidates will be awarded an ITI trade certificate along with a joint Advanced Training certificate issued by Don Bosco and Mercedes-Benz India. Trainers are trained at Mercedes-Benz India, Cellete training facility Coimbatore and also at select Mercedes-Benz dealerships.