Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) recently concluded the Skill Festival 2025 at its Bidadi plant, underscoring its dedication to enhancing India’s skilled workforce. This flagship event brought together months of hands-on training, contests, and technical showcases—focusing on innovation, vocational excellence, and youth development.
The event was attended by Dr Ragapriya R (IAS), Commissioner of the Department of Industrial Training and Employment (DITE), Government of Karnataka, alongside senior leaders from TKM. The opening featured a journey through TKM’s skill-building legacy, spotlighting key innovations and advancements in workforce training. A special exhibition and video presentation offered insight into the breadth of skills developed through TKM’s extensive training ecosystem.
Young talent from partner ITIs across Karnataka displayed their expertise in key fields such as Mechatronics, Auto Body Repair, and Prototype Modelling—demonstrating TKM’s grassroots approach to talent development.
A major highlight was the Internal Skill Contests, organized by the Toyota India Centre of Excellence. These contests provided a platform for over 5,800 employees to compete in areas like Assembly, Welding, Paint, Maintenance, Logistics, and Quality. After a four-week advanced training program at Toyota Gurukul, 51 top contenders were honored for their outstanding performance. From this group, 17 participants will be selected after further evaluations to represent TKM at the Global Skill Contest in August 2025.
Dr Ragapriya R praised the initiative, stating, “Equipping youth with modern, practical skills is essential to Karnataka’s progress. Events like this showcase how industry can play a transformative role in shaping the future workforce. TKM’s efforts directly support the vision of a self-reliant and skilled India, benefiting communities across the state.”
G Shankara, Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration at TKM, echoed the sentiment: “At Toyota, our people are at the heart of our manufacturing excellence. By investing in youth—especially from rural areas—we’re helping develop a capable, future-ready workforce while contributing to India’s growth as a global manufacturing leader.”
Another key feature of the festival was TKM’s ongoing support for India’s participation in the WorldSkills Competition, often dubbed the “Olympics of Skills.” Scheduled for September 2025 in Shanghai, this global event will host over 1,400 competitors from 65 countries.
India’s past successes, with multiple medals in Mechatronics and Prototype Modelling, reflect the quality of training provided by TKM and its partners. These achievements continue to elevate the country’s global reputation in vocational skill excellence.
Beyond its factory walls, TKM plays a vital role in advancing technical education across Karnataka. In partnership with state institutions and in line with national programs like Skill India and Make in India, TKM has supported 80 technical institutes, including 60 ITIs and 20 GTTCs.
During FY 2024–25, 17 new government institutes received development support. TKM has also led impactful programs such as faculty development for educators, the Toyota Youth Connect initiative (engaging over 7,700 students across 31 districts), and the Developing Safety Mindset campaign.
Through its Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI), which now trains over 1,000 students—including 600 girls—TKM ensures 100% job placement. Other standout programs include the Toyota Kaushalya “Learn & Earn” initiative, advanced training at GTTCs, and the establishment of 26 Centres of Excellence across Karnataka.
Skill Festival 2025 reaffirmed TKM’s crucial role in preparing India’s next generation of professionals. By aligning global standards with local talent development, and strengthening ties between industry, academia, and government, TKM continues to lead the way in building a competitive, future-ready workforce.
