Mercedes-Benz India pursues skill development endeavour for the youth, inaugurates the ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in Don Bosco, Chinchwad


 •One-of-its kind ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair’ course in India for young aspirants aimed at developing the much in demand Auto Body repair technicians in the country
•Mercedes-Benz has donated a C-Class to Don Bosco for practical training purpose for the course
•Mercedes-Benz will provide scholarship to 10 economically weak students for the course
•A Standard 10th qualified aspirant can apply also for this job-oriented course
•The trainers for this course
 have been trained at Mercedes-Benz India body shop •Additionally, the trainers underwent 3 weeks of training each at M/s Cellete body shop equipment provider and at select Mercedes-Benz dealers
•Mercedes-Benz has invested a total of INR 26.5 million for setting up the Training Centre 

Chandigarh, 03, August, 2016: India’s largest luxury car maker, Mercedes-Benz India today re-affirmed its commitment to strengthen the development of advanced technical skill-set amongst the youth who want to pursue a career in the automotive service industry. The company today inaugurated the unique ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in association with Don Bosco ITI, Chinchwad. The Training Centre is aimed at equipping ambitious youngsters with advanced technical skill-sets enabling them to pursue a successful career in the highly competitive automotive service sector. The inauguration of the Advanced Auto Body Repair Centre will also give a significant boost to the demand of highly skilled and technically adept manpower, which can play a crucial role in bringing service excellence to the service sector of the automotive industry. The centre was jointly inaugurated by Roland Folger, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz India and Fr. Godfrey D’souza, Salesian Provincial, Mumbai - in the presence of Santosh Iyer, Vice President, After-Sales & Retail Training, Mercedes-Benz India and Fr. Corils Gonsalves, Director Don Bosco Private ITI in Chinchwad today. 

Mercedes-Benz India pursues skill development endeavour for the youth, inaugurates the ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in Don Bosco, Chinchwad
 Aerial view of the training centre

Mercedes-Benz India pursues skill development endeavour for the youth, inaugurates the ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in Don Bosco, Chinchwad
 Aerial view of the training centre

Mercedes-Benz India pursues skill development endeavour for the youth, inaugurates the ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in Don Bosco, Chinchwad
 Inside the Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre by Mercedes-Benz-

Mercedes-Benz India pursues skill development endeavour for the youth, inaugurates the ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in Don Bosco, Chinchwad
 Inside the Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre by Mercedes-Benz-

Mercedes-Benz India pursues skill development endeavour for the youth, inaugurates the ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in Don Bosco, Chinchwad
 Inside the Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre by Mercedes-Benz-

Mercedes-Benz India pursues skill development endeavour for the youth, inaugurates the ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in Don Bosco, Chinchwad
 Inside the Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre by Mercedes-Benz-

Mercedes-Benz India pursues skill development endeavour for the youth, inaugurates the ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in Don Bosco, Chinchwad

Mercedes-Benz India pursues skill development endeavour for the youth, inaugurates the ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in Don Bosco, Chinchwad
 Mercedes-Benz India pursues skill development endeavour for the youth, inaugurates the ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in Don Bosco, Chinchwad

Mercedes-Benz India pursues skill development endeavour for the youth, inaugurates the ‘Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre’ in Don Bosco, Chinchwad


The selected candidates will get an opportunity to hone their technical skill sets with the help of the latest equipment including a Mercedes-Benz car provided by the company. This one-of-its-kind course identifies itself with the vision of “Skill India” which aims at utilizing the youth demographics and create skilled workers at this Training Centre. Mercedes-Benz India has spent a total of INR 26.5 million on the project. 

Inaugurating the Training Centre, Roland Folger, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, “India is rich in its manpower, but opportunities and facilities that train and gainfully employ them are by far, few. On the other hand, growth in the automotive industry, changing technology, a burgeoning economy, a larger disposable income and lowering first hand life-cycle of cars have triggered huge demand for skilled technicians and that of upskilling in the sector. Mercedes-Benz has been the pioneers in providing employment to talented young heads over a decade now, by introducing them to the Advanced Diploma in Automotive Mechatronics course by collaborating with various reputed technical institutions. We have been conducting these programmes with very high levels of success, and the overwhelming response from the aspiring students has inspired us to expand our skill sharing initiatives further. The inauguration of the Advanced Body Repair Training Centre in Don Bosco is yet another commitment from Mercedes-Benz to develop highly skilled manpower for the industry, thus contributing to the vision of ‘Skill India’.” 

Mr. Folger further explained, “The partnership with Mercedes-Benz and Don Bosco through this Advanced Auto Body Parts Training Centre’ will remain an important milestone towards modernization, practical relevance and flexibility of vocational education and training in Maharashtra. The unique aspect of this collaboration will be the continuous engagement of Mercedes-Benz India colleagues in the planning of the syllabus on modern automotive technology, supply of Mercedes-Benz cars for training purposes, training of lecturers and also supply of advanced technical tools and equipment for the students. The Advanced Auto Body Repair course will focus on automotive crash repair and automotive body structure related repair activities, ensuring a well-trained and highly skilled manpower supply in these crucial areas of servicing. This skill development programme will only strengthen the automotive service industry, where service excellence is increasingly becoming crucial to a brand’s long-term success in India. Mercedes-Benz and its dealerships across the country can absorb these young talent heads directly via campus recruitment.”

Speaking on the occasion, Fr. Corils Gonsalves, Director Don Bosco Private ITI, said, “We at Don Bosco ITI applaud Mercedes-Benz India for undertaking this noble initiative of supporting us in establishing this Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre. This initiative will help many young aspirants in times to come, who may not have a sound financial background, to build a career in the automotive industry. Don Bosco ITI is renowned for providing job oriented vocational and training programmes, and the inauguration of the Advanced Auto Body Repair Training Centre will create a new benchmark in offering superlative education in this field. We are delighted that many students will now find a unique opportunity to build a career, thanks to the automotive icon, Mercedes-Benz."  

Details of the Advanced Auto Body Repair course:

The course will be taught at Don Bosco, Chinchwad in Pune in an approximate area of 900 sq. meters. The course is as per the ITI standards and hence will be for duration of 1 year with 21 students per batch. An additional 1 month will be utilized for imparting Mercedes-Benz Auto Body Technology knowhow to the students. With the introduction of new safety norms and light weight body construction concepts, technology is evolving across all automotive brands. The knowledge and skill gained at the Advanced Auto Body Part Repair Centre can be applied to any automobile. This is also the first of its kind training course on Advanced Auto Body Repair with the latest equipment and technology. 

The course contents are based on the ITI trade of Auto Body Repair Technician (12 months) and add-on advanced level training on Mercedes-Benz cars and equipment (1 month). The successful candidates will be awarded an ITI trade certificate along with a joint Advanced Training certificate issued by Don Bosco and Mercedes-Benz India. Trainers are trained at Mercedes-Benz India, Cellete training facility Coimbatore and also at select Mercedes-Benz dealerships. 

Don Bosco is a reputed and registered charitable institution having a pan India presence. Don Bosco Private ITI in Chinchwad is a benchmark in private ITIs, offering courses for short term and long term in Vocational Education and Training (VET) programme, Welders, Fitters, Motor Vehicle Mechanic, Electrician, Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning and Mechanical Draftsmen etc. 


About Mercedes-Benz India:

Established in 1994, Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd. pioneered the luxury car market in India and boasts of more than 130 years of cutting edge innovation in the luxury automobile industry globally. Set up in 2009, Mercedes-Benz India’s world class production facility is spread over 100 acres in Chakan near Pune. Since June 2015, Mercedes-Benz India also commenced production from its new expanded production facility located in the same premises. The production facility now carries an investment of INR 1000+ crores and has the largest installed production capacity for any luxury car maker in India.

Mercedes-Benz India product portfolio comprises the locally produced Mercedes Maybach S 500, S-Class, E-Class, C-Class, CLA luxury sedans and the GLA, GLE and the GLS luxury SUVs. Completely Built imported cars portfolio includes the A-Class, B-Class, CLS, SLK, E-Class Cabriolet, S-Class Coupé, GLC and the S 600 Guard a range of other Guard vehicles etc.

The product portfolio also comprises the iconic off-roader Mercedes-AMG G 63 as well as a wide range of other Mercedes-AMG performance cars like the AMG CLA 45, AMG C 63 S, AMG S 63 Coupe, AMG GL 63, AMG S 63, AMG GLA 45, GLE 450 AMG Coupe, AMG GT S sports car and the AMG SLC 43. Given Mercedes-Benz’s continuous success in India across myriad spectrum of sales, network, operations, services, finance, etc. 2016 will be the cornerstone to inculcate the spirit of winning despite emerging market challenges.

‘Winning with Mercedes-Benz’ philosophy is also derived from the unrivalled success created by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team in the highly competitive Formula 1 in the past years. In 2016, Mercedes-Benz will initiate a range of innovative customer oriented initiatives which are ‘winning’ in nature and will further underline the brand’s strong customer centric approach. In 2016, Mercedes-Benz began its ‘winning’ motto with the launch of the fascinating GLE 450 AMG Coupe, as the first product of the year. This was followed up with the introduction of the Mercedes-Maybach S600 Guard which is the costliest product from Mercedes-Benz India fleet, yet. Mercedes-Benz also introduced the S400 flagship sedan and also the luxurious SUV GLS 350 d. The quintessential SUV that strengthens the SUV portfolio of Mercedes-Benz is the GLC and this was launched in June. The sixth launch of the year, AMG SLC 43 got launched in India nearly after four months of its international debut with a two-digit nomenclature 43.

Underlining the service excellence achieved in India, the company has also been ranked number one in the prestigious J.D. Power Customer Service Index 2015, among all the luxury brands for the second year in a row. Mercedes-Benz India also registered a historic 32% year-on-year growth by selling 13502 units in the Jan–December 2015 period and became the No. 1 luxury car brand in terms of sales volumes. Mercedes-Benz scripted historic sales for the 2015-16 Fiscal Year, selling 13,558 units between April 2015 and March 2016. The company has maintained steady sales growth by selling 6,597 units from January to June 2016 period. The brand has won as many as 30 prestigious automotive awards conferred by different media houses across India, the highest won by any luxury automotive brand in India this year.

Mercedes-Benz launched one-of-its kind, innovative service programme, ‘My Mercedes-My Service’. With the launch of this programme, Mercedes-Benz aims to completely redefine the after-sales experience by digitizing service process and create an unparalleled benchmark in the luxury car service do-main. ‘My Mercedes-My Service’ programme comprises industry first initiatives like ‘Digital Service Drive’, ‘Premier Express Service’ and innovative ‘Service Products’.