During his 13-year-long tenure with Mercedes-Benz India, Atul Bapat headed dealer development for the luxury carmaker's South Asian markets.

Now he is set to start an institute called the Global Academy of Automotive Retail Excellence (GAARE) in Pune, which will prepare industry-ready sales personnel, some of whom could be placed in the dealerships that Bapat had identified for Mercedes-Benz.

Classes for the first batch for the advanced diploma in automotive retail sales will begin by mid-July this year. Each batch will have 200 students initially and every student will be guaranteed a job placement. 

The curriculum comprises of subjects that ensure overall development of job ready professional sales. The six subjects are:
- Automotive Technology
- Persuasive Communication
- The Art of Selling
- Personality Development
- Customer Relationship Management
- Sales Business Management

Atul has two partners, both of them in the automotive retail business and dealing in premium brands. Not surprising then that the institute is looking at placements for its students in the premium car dealerships initially. With almost every vehicle manufacturer in India expanding its retail network, the industry is facing a shortage of quality sales and service personnel.

Atul and his partners see this as an opportunity to leverage. Going forward, the institute will also have courses to train personnel for vehicle workshop. "We have plans to add courses for aftersales. We should have it by the fourth or fifth year of the institute," says Atul, who is the chairman of GAARE.

“The automobile sector is experiencing a huge gap in the need of trained manpower and the growth of the sector. At GAARE, we aim to fulfil the expectations of both the automotive dealers as well as our students. We have state-of-the-art facilities and an innovative and pedagogic approach, like role plays, case studies, highly interactive sessions, and videos to ensure a proper mix of theory and practical training. I am confident that this program will induct highly skilled and specialized manpower from within the country that will deliver customer services at international standards,” said Atul, who is chairman of GAARE. 

Since the institute will guarantee placement to each of its students, it plans to have a stringent entrance process. This will begin from April 20. Talks are also on to get the institute's courses certified by the Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC).

For further details, contact the Global Academy of Automotive Retail Excellence at: www.gaare.in . Tel: +91-7030299299