Yamaha opens 1st Japan – India Institute of Manufacturing in Chennai

Yamaha Motor NTTF Training Centre (YNTC) to train 40 students on Japanese Style of Manufacturing.

Chennai, July 24, 2017: As a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative, India Yamaha Motor (IYM) on Mondayannounced the opening of the first Japan-India Institute of Manufacturing (JIM) in Chennai. The first Technical Training Institute opened under JIM has been named as Yamaha Motor NTTF Training Center (YNTC) which aims to train future shop floor leaders with the Japanese style of manufacturing and working methods. JIM is a collaboration between the Governments of Japan and India along with Japanese companies to create a pool of skilled manpower for manufacturing units in India.

JIM has been established from a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed in Tokyo on November 11th, 2016 between Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan (METI) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India (MSDE), for a “Manufacturing Skill Transfer Promotion Program”. Under this initiative, Japanese Endowed Courses (JEC) will also be introduced in existing engineering colleges to train 30,000 Japanese standard shop floor leaders and engineers over the next ten years.

The inauguration ceremony was held at the IYM’s Chennai Factory in presence of Mr. Riuji Kawashima, Deputy Managing Director, IYM, Mr. Mukesh Kumar, Vice President, IYM, Mr. Kenichiro Toyofuku, Japan Plus, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, Mr. R Rajagopalan, Deputy Managing Director, NTTF, students and parents.

YNTC will run a four-year program in Manufacturing Technology in association with Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF), an educational foundation aimed at promoting technical education for youth in India. The curriculum provided by YNTC and NTTF is registered under National Employability Enhancement Mission (NEEM), a government scheme to promote employability through on the job practical training for individuals.

The focus of the program is to target young people residing in the rural areas in India with low income but having the potential to learn and enhance their skills. YNTC offers a 2 year Certificate Program in Manufacturing Technology followed by a 2 year Diploma Program. Forty students aged between 18 to 21 years have been admitted for the first academic year. The students are being selected through proper screening, entrance test and counselling.

Over the course of the four-year program, students will learn practical skills in Japanese-style manufacturing, covering nine main areas: Motorcycle Assembly, Parts Control, Paint, Welding, Casting, Machining (in both aluminum and steel), Quality Control, and Utility Techniques. NTTF will be responsible for imparting the class room training whereas IYM will provide On the Job training to the selected students. The entire program will be monitored by a Steering Committee in India which will provide periodic consultation to resolve issues which may emerge while realizing the program.

During the inauguration, Mr. Riuji Kawashima, Deputy Managing Director, IYM, said, “We are proud to be associated with this program which aims at promoting skill training and development in India. Manufacturing Sector in India is facing shortage of skilled manpower and initiatives like JIM can play a major role in filling this gap. Through YNTC, we wish to train young individuals on the best manufacturing practices and create skilled manpower. The initiative further strengthens our commitment towards the continuous development of the local talents and contribute towards the Skill India Mission launched by the Indian Government.” 

Mr. Kenichiro Toyofuku, Japan Plus, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India said, “YNTC is the world’s 1stinstitute to be certified by the Japanese government to impart training on the Japanese way of manufacturing. During my tenure of 12 years in India, I visited around 100 Japanese factories and more than 30 technical institutes but I found IYM CHENNAI and NTTF to be the best among them. This collaboration will not only help in shaping the career of these young trainees but also support the industry with exceptional and highly skilled manpower.”

Mr. R Rajagopalan, Deputy MD, NTTF, said, “Our institute’s philosophy is to train youth in acquiring the required skills in order to get employed. Besides our core programs, NTTF is totally committed to train more rural youth under NEEM where trainees will not only learn but also earn to support himself and his/her family. The association with Yamaha will add value to the students with JIM certification which will help them to gain employment not only in India but in Japan as well.”