Making fishers of men: Maruti Suzuki India Limited’s JIIM initiative

Give a man a fish and he stays fed for a day; teach a man to fish and he will stay fed for the rest of his life. The famous saying has existed in one form or another through the ages but its essence has never faded. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities and initiatives are perfect opportunities to put the saying to use.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited has applied the famous lines to its CSR initiative involving Japan-India Institute for Manufacturing (JIIM). The JIIM project is part of a joint venture between Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) and India’s Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The project’s aim is to realize India’s vision of Make-in-India and Skill India.

Maruti Suzuki CSR Initiative

Skill development plays a crucial role in Maruti Suzuki India’s CSR policy. The automobile giant realizes the potential of the untapped human resources that India possesses and aligns its CSR initiatives to unlock them. With support from the Indian and Japanese governments, Maruti Suzuki India went ahead and opened its first JIIM in Mehsana, Gujarat, in 2017. The venture was an astounding success and led to the setting up of the second JIIM in Uncha Majra, Haryana, in 2019.

Set up as a model Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), JIIM offers National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT) approved courses related to the automobile industry. The Dual System of Training (DST) module is followed in these institutes along with On-Job Training (OJT) which qualifies the students for a monthly stipend too.

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The two JIIMs introduce the students to the intricate workings of a production assembly line and the various jobs performed by technicians. Other than the hard skills required in the automobile industry, the institute also teaches the students the famous Kaizen as well as Japanese shop floor practices. This is done in order to ensure the graduates of the institutes become a living, breathing workforce that thinks and contributes positively to the production line and not just mere robots.

The JIIM initiative by Maruti Suzuki India Limited shows exactly what a CSR program is all about. Kenichi Ayukawa, MD, and CEO said, “The company aligns with the Government of India’s flagship ‘Skill India’ mission to impart the relevant skills training to generate livelihood opportunities for people and to create a pool of skilled workforce for the success of the ‘Make In India’ initiative.”