Ambassador of Japan inaugurates ‘Japan‐India Institute for Manufacturing’ in Sri City. This is the very first JIM in Andhra Pradesh and first JIM by multiple Japanese companies

Sri City, April 26, 2019:- The Ambassador of Japan to India, His Excellency Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu formally inaugurated the ‘Japan-India Institute for Manufacturing’ (JIM), a residential skill training centre in Sri City on Friday, in the august presence of Mr. Kojiro Uchiyama, Consul General of Japan in Chennai, Mr. Sugimoto Yuji, President, JIM Sri City, Mr. Ravindra Sannareddy, Founder Managing Director, Sri City and a host senior managers of Japanese companies.

Stating that Japan is an active partner in India’s growth, the Japanese envoy said,”Very happy to be at Sri City, which is the second largest township for Japanese companies in India. I am also happy to take part in the inaugural ceremony of JIM. This is the very first JIM in Andhra Pradesh and first JIM by multiple Japanese companies. I am confident that students will make use of the training provided transform themselves as skilled technicians in manufacturing.”

Mr. Ravindra Sannareddy said, “We extend a very warm welcome to Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu, Mr. Kojiro Uchiyama and other dignitaries from Japanese Units. At the outset I wish to thank the Japanese authorities for preferring Sri City to set up a JIM. It is very heartening to note, skill development at JIM is focused on employability. Besides the core technical skills, as students will be groomed in Japanese manufacturing practices and processes, successful completion of the course will transform them ‘industry ready’.”

Expressing confidence that Sri City-JIM will serve as a model for technical training and skill development, he added,”This training will certainly help the youth in securing gainful employment, and we are very happy to be an important partner in this initiative.”

Mr. Yoshio Nishida, Director, Kobelco Group, which is the lead company in managing JIM briefed about the unique features of Sri City-JIM.

Mr. Hisashi Kanda of Association for Overseas Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Partnerships (AOTS) said that the Sri City-JIM, a fully residential Institute, setup in partnership with Sri City and some of the Japanese units based at Sri City, trains youth for the manufacturing sectors and thus contribute to the mission of skill India & make in India.

While Sri City supports in recruitment of trainees, providing hostel, classroom, food etc., manufacturing experts from the Sri City based Japanese companies, viz. Kobelco Group (as lead), Isuzu Motors India, Nippon Seiki, India Metal One Steel Plate Processing (IMOP), Kikuwa India, MCNS Polyurethanes India and Aisan Auto Parts India (AAI) will ensure that manufacturing expertise is effectively transferred to the students (trainees) by giving hand-on training at the respective workshops, for four days in a week. The remaining two days they will have classroom teaching.

Located at the Sri City Trade Centre (on the Express way), the JIM is equipped with a modern Classroom and latest teaching aids. The annual intake of trainees is twenty. The training is completely free, and the students get stipend. The year-long training at companies will enable the students to get hands-on experience in manufacturing and bridge the gap between theory and actual industry requirement. Training in safety, English language and computer will enhance the skills of the students and equip them with all round skills & capabilities.

Others present at the inauguration ceremony include, Mr. Yoshito Miyazaki, First Secretary of Embassy of Japan in India, Mr. Tatsushi Tamoto, JETRO Director General, Mr. Hisashi Kanda, AOTS, Mr. Anil Kumar, Joint Director, Department of Industries, Andhra Pradesh, Mr. I. L. Ram, Zonal Manager, Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, Mr. Lokanathan, Divisional Manager, Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC), Mr. V. Ramakrishna Reddy, Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories, Inspectorate of Factories, Mr. G. Chandramohan, President, ABK AOTS, and several others.

More about JIM

Based on the Manufacturing Skill Transfer Promotion Programme initiated by the Japanese government in India, under a memorandum of understanding signed by both the countries in 2016, the JIM scheme was initiated as a collaborative programme between the governments along with Japanese companies to create a pool of skilled manpower for manufacturing units in India. This partnership scheme aims at imparting training to 30,000 Indian youth in Japanese Manufacturing Soft skills. Eight JIMs are already functioning in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka states.

The curriculum of the Japanese Manufacturing Practices and Processes course was developed by the Association for Overseas Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Partnerships (AOTS) under the guidance of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan. AOTS is a Japanese organisation for human resources development in developing countries to promote technical cooperation through training,