The government of India has shown interest in setting up a national institute to meet the skills training needs of the country’s rubber and tyre sectors.
India’s Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy, ina meeting with the top management of the rubber and tyre industries organised by the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA), has invited the industry to collaborate with the government in setting up the institute.
He said that rubber is an important sector of the economy but India does not have a principal institution to cater to the training needs of the sector.
Highlighting the diverse needs of skill training in tyre industry, Rudy said the country manufactures around 150 million tyres every year and has more than 10,000 tyre dealers, entailing the need for huge manpower to be trained.
Tyre alignment and maintenance is also a must for safety, which also emphasises the importance of proper training when it comes to road safety.
Speaking on behalf of the rubber and tyre sector, former ATMA chairman Raghupati Singhania said the value chain of the rubber and tyre sector is long and a rich one which includes about one million natural rubber growers and about two million people working in rubber and tyre industries.
Besides, there are about 6,000 rubber and tyre-manufacturing units which manufacture 35,000 different rubber products aside from tyres.
Vinod Simon, chairman of the Rubber Skill Development Council (RSDC), thanked the ministry for all new initiatives aimed at increasing the skill base in the country.
RSDC is trying to develop a strong eco system for the sector such as developing National Occupational Standards (NOS), affiliating training providers, revising the curriculum and certification of trainees as well as trainers, he said.