Recently we went up close with Sandeep Gokhale, Manager – HR at AAM India Supa, Ahmednagar. He spoke to us at length about the market demands and how apprenticeships can help solve the current skill level. During the exclusive interview, he mentioned that the industry is going through an uncertain market demand currently and thus, we need a skilled and flexible workforce that meets the commercial and safety quality standards. He stressed the importance of apprenticeships and appreciated the different upskilling initiatives taken by the government to solve the skill crisis.
Talking about the present scenario in the heavy commercial vehicle market, he mentioned that the overall economic growth and government expenditure on infrastructure projects are important drivers in this sector. He also added that for further growth we need to have the low taxation vehicle scrap policy in place.
“We are keeping a tab on the anticipated growth with the help of market surveys from the likes of Aon, E&Y, and KPMG. Our talent acquisition strategy is then created depending on the market conditions.”
During the interview, he mentioned that his company has deployed 29 apprentices in the Workers’ Category (Diploma – Mechanical & Automobile) and another 110 under NEEM. These initiatives are working as a ready in-house talent for his company. He further added that they are currently focusing on On-Job-Training (OJT) with an additional accent on training the employees on world-class Operating Systems (Quality, Safety, HR, etc.,). He emphasized the idea to create a flexible talent pool that can be multi-skilled in welding, machining, and assembly.
“We have multiple operations viz., welding, machining, heat treatment, assembly and support functions under one roof. We train our apprentices in multiple skills and hence, have been successful in creating a flexible workforce,” said Mr. Gokhale.
Through apprenticeship, an organization can train an employee in multiple skills which leads to a win-win situation for both. The organization can get multiple operations done without hiring extra resources while an employee broadens his career opportunity by learning multiple skills.
This article is a part of “Apprenticeship Talks – The Interview Series”, presented by NETAP (National Employability Through Apprenticeship Program), a Public-Private Partnership of TeamLease Skills University, CII, and NSDC under the National Employability Enhancement Mission of the Ministry of HRD (AICTE).
