Honda to set up Vocational Training Institute

Japanese automobile major has recently got an approval from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to set up a vocational training institute. It will be set up with an initial investment of Rs. 5 crore. The institute will come up in an area of 10 acres which has been earmarked for HVTI in adjacent to Honda’s upcoming Tapukara plant. The initial investment does not include the cost of the land allotted for the institute.

It is part of Honda’s CSR initiative which was also requested by the Rajasthan government. With Honda's investments in Rajasthan, it is expected that Rajasthan will also be able to participate in the booming auto sector of India.

“Based on discussions with Rajasthan Government, it has been decided that Honda Vocational Training Institute (HVTI) will introduce short term modular courses in the field of manufacturing and automobiles”, says Raman Kumar Sharma, Sr. Vice President & Director - General Affairs, Honda Siel Cars India. The construction of HVTI has already started and is expected to complete by August 2011. The institute will start admissions from August/ Sept 2011.

In the first year, HVTI will offer three courses - Basic manufacturing course, Welding Course and Assembly operations. Subsequently, HVTI will keep adding more courses like Machining, Painting, Driving etc.

“Honda Vocational Training Institute is based on Honda's Global CSR initiatives of promoting youth education and traffic safety in India and is a not for profit institution” adds Sharma.

The basic objective of HVTI is to improve employability of youth so as to help them gain useful employment opportunities across the Auto Value Chain. With an increasing challenge of skilled manpower scarcity, companies like Honda are looking at taking proactive measure to groom and hire manpower for their growing manufacturing activities in India. Honda says the HVTI will help create a pool of skilled manpower for other players, suppliers and dealers will also benefit with the availability of skilled employable manpower.