Posted on Aug 3, 2016

Mercedes-Benz opens Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre in Pune

India’s largest luxury car maker, Mercedes-Benz India today re-affirmed its commitment to strengthen the development of advanced technical skill-set amongst the youth who want to pursue a career in the automotive service industry. The company today inaugurated the unique ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in association with Don Bosco ITI, Chinchwad. The Training Centre is aimed at equipping ambitious youngsters with advanced technical skill-sets enabling them to pursue a successful career in the highly competitive automotive service sector. The inauguration of the Advanced Auto Body Repair Centre will also give a significant boost to the demand of highly skilled and technically adept manpower, which can play a crucial role in bringing service excellence to the service sector of the automotive industry. The centre was jointly inaugurated by Roland Folger, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz India and Fr. Godfrey D’souza, Salesian Provincial, Mumbai – in the presence of Santosh Iyer, Vice President, After-Sales & Retail Training, Mercedes-Benz India and Fr. Corils Gonsalves, Director Don Bosco Private ITI in Chinchwad today.

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. This one-of-its-kind course identifies itself with the vision of “Skill India” which aims at utilizing the youth demographics and create skilled workers at this Training Centre. Mercedes-Benz India has spent a total of INR 26.5 million on the project.

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. Mercedes-Benz has been the pioneers in providing employment to talented young heads over a decade now, by introducing them to the Advanced Diploma in Automotive Mechatronics course by collaborating with various reputed technical institutions. We have been conducting these programmes with very high levels of success, and the overwhelming response from the aspiring students has inspired us to expand our skill sharing initiatives further. The inauguration of the Advanced Body Repair Training Centre in Don Bosco is yet another commitment from Mercedes-Benz to develop highly skilled manpower for the industry, thus contributing to the vision of ‘Skill India’.

Mr. 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. This skill development programme will only strengthen the automotive service industry, where service excellence is increasingly becoming crucial to a brand’s long-term success in India. Mercedes-Benz and its dealerships across the country can absorb these young talent heads directly via campus recruitment.

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. Don Bosco ITI is renowned for providing job oriented vocational and training programmes, and the inauguration of the Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre will create a new benchmark in offering superlative education in this field. We are delighted that many students will now find a unique opportunity to build a career, thanks to the automotive icon, Mercedes-Benz.

Details of the Advanced Auto Body Repair course

The course will be taught at Don Bosco, Chinchwad in Pune in an approximate area of 900 sq. meters. The course is as per the ITI standards and hence 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. The knowledge and skill gained at the Advanced Auto Body Part Repair Centre can be applied to any automobile. This is also the first of its kind training course on Advanced Auto Body Repair with the latest equipment and technology.
The course contents are based on the ITI trade of Auto Body Repair Technician (12 months) and add-on advanced level training on Mercedes-Benz cars and equipment (1 month). 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.

Don Bosco is a reputed and registered charitable institution having a pan India presence. Don Bosco Private ITI in Chinchwad is a benchmark in private ITIs, offering courses for short term and long term in Vocational Education and Training (VET) programme, Welders, Fitters, Motor Vehicle Mechanic, Electrician, Refrigeration & Air- Conditioning and Mechanical Draftsmen etc.