Tata Motors to upskill 50% of employees with new age auto tech in 5 years

Tata Motors on Thursday said it plans to equip over 50 per cent of its overall workforce with new-age auto tech capabilities within five years as part of its strategy to develop skilled and future-ready staff focused on electric vehicles and other emerging technologies in the auto industry.

The company, which has over 57,000 employees across different functions, has collaborated with organisations such as ARAI, Bosch, Mathworks, SAE, and Tata Technologies, among others to provide its employees with professional certification programmes in connected, electric, shared and safe (CESS) through its upskilling programme.

"A dynamically evolving industry like ours mandates consistent upskilling and training to remain ahead of the curve and future ready," Tata Motors Vice President HR, Passenger Vehicles and Electric Vehicles, Sitaram Kandi said.

The company has specially curated training modules to address the requisite developmental needs of all -- from shopfloor technicians to line engineers, and plant management -- to deliver relevant technical and functional skills, as well as managerial and leadership capabilities.

Addressing reporters, Kandi said the company has also co-created bespoke courses in partnership with local universities around its different manufacturing plants in order to upskill its workers.

Tata Motors has about 25,000 employees on the shopfloor across its seven plants.

The company has collaborated with various institutes, including BITS Pilani, MIT-ADT University Pune, Institute of Technology Nirma University, Symbiosis International (Deemed Universities), Ganpat University, DY Patil International University, Oxford Polytechnic, ARKA Jain University and Amity University, for specialised programmes for its workforce.

These company-sponsored programmes provide employees with higher education opportunities, including B Tech, M Tech as well as Executive MBA.

Kandi also said for shop floor technicians working across plants, a higher education programme has been designed, enabling them to pursue a diploma in engineering with a focus on auto electrical and electronics, mechatronics, and specialised welding skills to help them acquire necessary qualification for growth and meet the evolving demands of the automotive industry.

He also said after acquiring the Ford India facility at Sanand in January, Tata Motors has undertaken a programme to upskill 100 per cent of the newly acquired workforce of over 820 employees in partnership with Gujarat's Ganpat University.

It has been carried out through curated learning programmes on future-oriented manufacturing technologies, including Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, advanced control engineering, and advanced manufacturing systems and processes.

The company is also promoting diversity and inclusion in manufacturing, Kandi said. At present Tata Motors has over 4,500 women employees working on the shopfloor across all plants, exercising a range of functional capabilities.

"Collaborating with tech partners and academic institutions, tailor-made training programmes, a nationwide 'learn & earn' apprenticeship programme and a sharp focus on diversity and inclusion, is enabling us to develop and nurture a capable, future-ready workforce," Kandi said.

Tata Motors was doing this not just for itself and its channel partners but also for the Indian auto industry at large, he added.