The prowess of India’s automobile industry has been a trailblazer in charting the economic future of a country, while in the same breath employing artisanship, creativity, and skills to increasing employment, contributing to above-average GDP. The very tempo at which this industry is growing and changing is being faced with the huge challenge of lack of skilled workforce. In the face of such technological advancements in the sector as electric vehicles and connected cars, it is pertinent for the industry to keep evolving along with the increasing need for specialized skills.
To fill this gap, simply relying on traditional teaching methods will not work anymore. A progressive method that can bring about practical knowledge would suit best. Enter apprenticeships: a viable way to allow youngsters practical experience alongside developing a workforce inside the businesses by training them up to a point. More on how the legacy of apprenticeship is going to bless the success of the automotive sector in India.
The Importance of Automotive Apprenticeship
An apprenticeship is a structured way of giving out training involving the synergy of training on-the-job or practical on-the-job experience with theoretical instruction under the supervision of qualified workers or highly skilled craftsmen. All basic training in the automotive industry concerning automotive mechanics, auto-electrical systems, body repairs, etc., would be done in an apprenticeship program. Apprenticeship programs expose an apprentice to the working environment so that they can acquire the necessary skills and competencies to ensure career success.
Apprenticeships are distinctly characterized by achieving a fine balance between theory and practice.Whereas apprentices learn the basic theories underpinning their craft, they are at the same time putting into practice the skills necessary to cope with the realities that form the bulk of the challenges in the sector. This double-barreled approach is crucial for the automotive sector because of the rapidly changing technology landscape, which requires workers to outpace obsolescence.
Key Features of Automotive Apprenticeships
Personalized Hands-On Training
Apprenticeships are fundamentally hands-on. Working side-by-side with skilled professionals, apprentices acquire practical knowledge that is indispensable for their success in the automotive industry.
Guided Mentoring
Through the course of the training, apprentices are evidently assisted by experienced mentors who offer these insights, support, and appraise whether learning is occurring in accordance with expectations. Such mentoring accelerates an apprentice’s learning curve, thus leveraging the accumulated years of experience of the mentors.
Theory and Practical Work
Typical apprenticeship programs incorporate instruction from an academic setting with practical training given on the job. Thus apprentices learn not just concepts but also how to put them into application during actual job situations.
Pathways Into Employment
From the standpoint of work, the advantages of being an apprentice are apparent. Apprentice training has enabled many apprentices to acquire full-time positions with their employers once they finish the qualification and obtain job security and an opportunity for advancement in their career.
Reduced Cost for Employers
On the side of the employer, apprenticeships are a cheap way of developing talent. Employers can have apprentices trained without bearing the full costs of recruitment and external training. Also, by establishing apprenticeships, one can create a trained workforce suited to their needs and operations.
Merits of Apprenticeship to the Individual
Skill Development
Apprenticeships provide hands-on practical skills for the better life of the individual working in the automotive industry. These skills range from the ability to troubleshoot car engines to the intricacies of electric vehicle systems; it is here that apprentices learn the requirements of the industry.
Career Development
Apprenticeships offer a definite career path. Building up skills will allow apprentices to move from specific job functions into specializations, then to leadership roles within that company.
Valuable to Industry
Apprenticeship completion is recognized and valued in the automotive industry. The apprentices become job-ready with certified skills that give them an edge in the employment market.
Long-Term Employment
An apprenticeship often guarantees employment within the same firm that trained the individual, assuring that they have financial security and growth opportunities to build lasting careers.
ASDC: The Backbone for the Future Workforce
The Automotive Skills Development Council with an enabler very much needed in helping set up apprenticeship systems all over India in the automotive sector. With a counter to the skills shortage, ASDC has integrated more than 150,000 apprentices in the automotive industry, giving them the opportunity to superannuate as skilled practitioners.
ASDC apprenticeship programs yield palpable results. Most of these apprentices not only finish their training but are transferred to various companies on a full-time basis with minimal interruptions, in many cases, transferring to employers at which they had completed their apprenticeships. These success stories themselves are examples of how apprenticeships are pathways to lifetime careers for the successful ones.
Why Apprenticeships Are A Win-Win Situation For Employers
In addition to the apprentices, businesses also stand to gain tremendously. Here’s how:
Cost-Effective Talent Acquisition
When employers invest in apprenticeships, they develop their own skill pool without incurring much overhead on recruitment and training. The companies can mould the apprentices according to their requirements and corporate culture, thereby saving on time and costs.
Customized Workforce
Through apprenticeships, companies can train for the latest technologies, allowing them to ensure that their workforce is well-acquainted with new fields, such as electric vehicle technology, autonomous driving systems, and so on. This helps companies to remain relevant in a dynamic marketplace.
Lower Employee Turnover
Apprentices who undergo training while being hired internally are more likely to stay longer with the company, thus increasing employee retention. These apprentices carry with them some institutional memory which is, from the point of view of the company, a plus in the long run.
Inspiring Success Stories
Shailesh Kumar moved from the town Lakhimpur Kheri. He began his journey in the automotive sector through ITI training during high school, which paved his way into the metapreneur program at Sandhar Technologies, Gurgaon. This unique combination of practical exposure and professional hand-holding transformed Shailesh into an able technician. Today, he stands at the cusp of creating a massive impact in his own community.
Quite similarly, Shashi Devi from Sitapur began her career from the ASDC apprenticeship, where, after finishing her training, she got employed in Sandhar Technologies, Haridwar. Her journey has made headlines to show that opportunities are growing for females in the automotive industry, once a male bastion.
Join the Movement: Be Part of the Change
Are you a fresh face, bursting with passion for cars, who wishes to start a career? ASDC will place you toward an apprenticeship program of your choice. Whether you want to engage in electric vehicles or advanced automotive technology, one twist or turn here or there will lead you to an apprentice.
Like employers actively seeking to train a skilled market, their partnership with ASDC is a valuable and low-cost alternative to fill the talent gaps. ASDC designs the apprenticeship programs according to the requirements of the job, thereby assuring the future of your business.
The future of India’s automotive industry sees bright prospects ahead. A collaborative and skill development-centered approach will definitely drive proficiency into the world around us. So, what are you doing to take the steering wheel?
Go to the ASDC website for more on apprenticeship programs and ways to get involved. Let us develop the workforce of tomorrow-today.
