Covid has changed the way auto business is done; workers need upskilling: ASDC

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way business is done, necessitating a change in the entire skilling landscape, and the present workforce in the auto industry needs upskilling, said Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC) Chairman Nikunj Sanghi.

With digital training becoming vital, ASDC has already started working on developing new learning modules and around 90-95 per cent of training will now happen online going forward.

"The Indian automotive sector has been facing headwinds for the past few years, and the situation became tougher, owing to the Covid-19 outbreak.

"The impact of the pandemic was felt across the value chain — from the component and vehicle manufacturers to dealerships," Sanghi said in a statement.

All this, he said, has "changed the way we do business necessitating a change in the entire skilling landscape. The present workforce needs upskilling".

Sanghi added that an individual will now need to be multi-skilled, including doing more than one job and covering jobs nearest to their domain. "Digital training is vital for this."

Stating that ASDC has already started working on developing new learning modules, he said, "Around 90-95 per cent of training will now happen online which will provide a tremendous opportunity for up-skilling across the country."

According to ASDC, with the rapid transformation witnessed in India's automotive sector, a constant skilling, re-skilling and up-skilling of the existing and future workforce is important.

The new jobs, however, are likely to move away from traditional manufacturing and instead be added in the areas of IoT, mechatronics, robotics and 3D printing, among others.

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