Electric Vehicle Industry in India: Skill Training and Career Opportunities

“The electric vehicle industry is predicted to employ a significant number of people over the next 7 to 8 years. One milestone we are looking forward to is 2030, by when we are likely to have a huge number of trained people for electric automobiles… If we are able to develop a robust talent supply chain for the EV industry, we would be able to become the largest supplier of skilled workforce for this industry in the world,” said Mr. Arindam Lahiri, CEO, of Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC). 

To learn more about the skill training for the EV industry, job opportunities, upskilling and reskilling the existing workforce, and apprenticeship programs for the emerging sector, among others, we conversed with Mr. Arindam Lahiri, CEO, Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC).

Below are a few excerpts from our conversation. You can watch the full video interview on our YouTube channel.

Skill training for the electric vehicle industry 

The adoption of electric vehicles is accelerating and gaining traction on the ground. The current focus is on different car segments, two-wheelers and we are slowly progressing towards specialised electric vehicles, which will include R&D engineering, manufacturing, sales and service.

While talking about skilling requirements for electric vehicles, Mr. Arindam Lahiri said that “Skilling has to reflect what is currently happening on the ground in terms of the whole adoption process of the electric vehicles. Segments that have more adoption will need more manpower, and functions that require greater manual process intervention. Therefore, the emerging EV industry in India will need more people trained in this particular area.”

Career opportunities in the electric vehicle industry

“The EV industry is predicted to employ a significant number of people over the next 7 to 8 years. One milestone we are looking forward to is 2030, by when we are likely to have a huge number of trained people for the electric automobiles,” noted Mr. Arindam Lahiri, while talking about the huge potential for the EV industry to generate new jobs for the youth.

Upskilling and reskilling for the EV industry

“Upskilling and reskilling will be crucial for the electric vehicle (EV) industry. Our initial efforts are primarily focused on upskilling rather than skilling new people, where we are interacting with numerous academic institutions, colleges, and polytechnics. They have requested our assistance in terms of helping them upgrade the curriculum and plug in the credentials and National Occupational Standards (NOS). Additionally, the National Credit Framework (NCrF) is about to be implemented, so the ability to incorporate skill training programs within the regular curriculum that is being offered has to meet the needs of the industry,” stated Mr. Arindam Lahiri.

Programs and initiatives from ASDC

“With Castrol India and several other partners, we started a program to upgrade the skills of the existing workforce in the automotive industry. Another area of focus for skill training is training drivers for electric buses in urban environments. There are several safety norms to be followed when it comes to electric vehicles and its devices. So, the workforce has to be upskilled on these parameters too,” said Mr. Arindam Lahiri, while mentioning a few of the initiatives from ASDC in workforce development for the EV industry.

How can academic institutions prepare their students for the EV industry

Mr. Arindam Lahiri expressed, “Some of the higher education institutions, starting from the polytechnic level, have already worked with us to improve electric vehicle modules and curriculum development at their institutes. We have also closely collaborated with the Directorate General of Training (DGT) to develop an ITI program on electric vehicle mechanics, which will be made available in the upcoming academic session.”

“Academic institutions can reach out to us if they are considering offering EV courses as an elective within their automobile program. We can give them the formalised curriculum, the content, train their faculty members, and as well as set up labs,” he added.

Apprenticeship programs

“We now have an apprenticeship program for our electric car technician training. Tata Motors is the first company to incorporate it into its network. We are hoping that this field will attract an increasing number of apprentices. We also provide one of the largest degree apprenticeship programs in mechatronics, with over a thousand people registered in the previous six months”, shared Mr. Arindam Lahiri

ASDC – School-level intervention

Talking about ASDC’s intervention at the school level, Mr. Arindam Lahiri said, “Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 and above need to be exposed to a variety of skill-building opportunities in the automotive sector. This will help them explore new opportunities in this sector going forward. We are collaborating closely with some of the progressive school boards, including the Delhi Board of Secondary Education and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), to promote electromechanical production systems for automobile repair as one of the domains at the school level.”