The German Federal President, Mr. Joachim Gauck, recently visited the Bosch Vocational Center (BVC) in Bangalore, and was given an overview of the vocational training and skill development at Bosch Ltd., one of the leading technology and services companies in the country.
Mr. Joachim Gauck and his team were welcomed by Mr. Peter Tyroller, member of the Board of Management at Robert Bosch GmbH and responsible for Asia-Pacific, and Dr. Steffen Berns, Managing Director, Bosch Ltd., and President, Bosch Group India.
“We see it as an essential part of our corporate philosophy to offer apprenticeships, thus enabling many young people to get a head start in their careers,” said Mr. Tyroller. “For more than 50 years, Bosch in India has developed extensive expertise in the realm of occupational training which helps us ensure the high quality standard of our products and maintain our competitive edge”.
Said Dr. Berns: “We are honoured to receive the Federal President here at our vocational training facility. His visit affirms that our continuous endeavour to keep skill development on an international level is being recognized. It is a motivation for all of us to further intensify our efforts in this area”.
During the BVC walk-through, Mr. Gauck was taken around the workshop and the Mechatronics Lab where he interacted with the apprentices and learned about their experiences with the German model of vocational training.
The Federal President acknowledged the importance of vocational training, and observed: “Bosch as a company has always been acknowledged for its commitment to building talent and contributing back to the industry; beyond financial gains. The number of people being skilled up at Bosch Vocational Center surpasses the company’s business needs; this demonstrates its responsibility to the Indian society and therefore stands out as a role model”.
Based on the German model of vocational training, BVC in Bangalore follows multi-skilling and hands-on approach. About 20 per cent of the time is used in imparting theoretical knowledge, 30 per cent in practice in the BVC workshop and different labs and about 50 per cent in the real-life production environment in the manufacturing plant.
Started in 1961, over 2,400 apprentices have so far been trained and have won 211 gold medals at the all-India competitions held by the Directorate-General of Employment and Training (DGET) of the Ministry of Labour. BVC has been conferred the Best Establishment Award 46 times by the President of India, a distinction no other company has received in the country. In fact, the Government used the BVC model for enacting the Apprentices Act way back in 1961.
In this effort towards providing skilled workforce, BVC also contributes to the growth of the country as these apprentices are trained on high international standards enabling them to find employment in different industry sectors both in India and abroad. More than 600 Bosch apprentices have opted to work in foreign countries, a majority in Australia.
Besides, as social responsibility, BVC regularly organizes job-oriented training courses with the National Center of Vocational Training (NCVT) for providing skills to the youth enabling them to earn livelihoods.
The Bosch Group has successfully deployed its German model of vocational training all over the world in order to ensure consistency in qualification levels and sustaining quality in products globally. BVC, Bangalore, continues this tradition and is widely recognized for bringing out young accomplished professionals capable of meeting today’s demanding industry requirements.
Over 20 international Bosch locations like India, China, Brazil and Turkey are conducting programs oriented at the proven training-concept of Bosch. Many new locations like Vietnam and Thailand are in the process of replicating this model.
Today more than 6,100 young apprentices around the world are in occupational training programs at Bosch, roughly 4,300 of them in Germany.