India’s largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki, recently achieved another important milestone under its CSR program, as the company successfully completed training over 15,000 tribal youth in driving training, making them employable. All of these students were trained at Maruti Suzuki’s AGIDTTR (All Gujarat Institute of Driving, Technical Training and Research), which is situated in Waghodia, Gujarat. Out of the total candidates trained, more than 70% have already secured employment or have taken up the role of an entrepreneur. Also, this new achievement marks the institution’s 10th anniversary.
Talking about the institution, AGIDTTR was established in 2009 as a public-private-partnership model between the Ministry of Tribal Development (Gujarat) and Maruti Suzuki. Through its comprehensive driver training programs, the institute has managed to consistently provide the tribal youth with skills set for employment opportunities. Apart from the scientifically designed course curriculum, the state-of-the-art institute also provides practical training through different facilities like the driving training track and driving training simulators. The 30 to 45-day course equips the candidates to drive light motor vehicles (LMV), commercial vehicles, heavy motor vehicles, buses and forklifts. Furthermore, the institute uses ARITRA, a camera-based image processing technology to enhance and improve learning.
On the occasion, Mr Ajay Kumar Tomer, Executive Advisor, Corporate Planning and CSR, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “AGIDTTR Vadodara is a perfect example of Government and industry coming together to bring about an affirmative change in the society. For the past 10 years, our expertise in training the students in safe driving, along with the support of the state government has resulted in the smooth functioning of the institute. The enthusiasm of the youth towards learning driving and their aspirations to explore newer horizons has contributed immensely to the success of this initiative.”
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He added, “Each student passing out of this institute is an inspiration for us to further expand the scope of our initiatives. They come from very humble backgrounds, most of them belonging to economically weaker sections of the society. The training bolsters their determination and dedication towards achieving their dreams of a better future. Today, these students have become breadwinners for their families. It is through initiatives like these that we are able to generate value through interventions, making these youth a part of the mainstream economy.”