Encouraging the future of manufacturing – SkillSonics, the school educates students on advanced metal cutting techniques.

October 31, 2023 – Helping to close the skills gap in India, metal cutting leader Sandvik Coromant has certified its fifth cohort of students from its School of Manufacturing Excellence. The convocation ceremony to award the students with official certification took place on October 19, 2023, at the school in Aundh, Pune. The latest round of certified students saw 219 complete the course, with 115 securing jobs in manufacturing companies including Tata Motors and Cummins India.

In 2018, Sandvik Coromant partnered with the Government of Maharashtra to found The School of Manufacturing Excellence, based at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Pune. The organisation was created to provide young people who do not typically have access to higher education, with the opportunity to study at a higher level.

With the help of its knowledge and skills partner, SkillSonics, the school educates students on advanced metal cutting techniques, enabling them to develop their skills and, ultimately, their employability. Since the founding of the school, 1,137 students have completed the course and 807 have gone on to work at different manufacturing companies.

The school equips young people with skills they need to thrive in manufacturing. Students learn basic workplace skills, technical material technology, metrology, technical drawing, workshop calculations, CNC machining and programming as core topics. Each student undertakes assessments covering all the topics and must perform up to set standards to pass the courses and achieve certification.

To certify, students at the Sandvik Coromant School of Manufacturing Excellence must study at the school for six hours a week and undergo structured theory and practical training, split by a ratio of 30:70, by subject matter experts. The practical assessment involves producing a component based on the given technical drawing by operating the CNC machines independently.

This year's certification ceremony was held with Kiran Acharya, Managing Director and CFO Sandvik Coromant India, along with Sunil Joshi, President Sandvik Coromant India, Obhijeet Chakraborty, Head of facility management and sustainability and Roshni Acharya, Corporate Social Responsibility specialist Sandvik Coromant.

At the convocation ceremony, the students exhibited the innovative products made by them, applying what they learnt from the School of Manufacturing Excellence.

"The School of Manufacturing Excellence is designed with students in mind," said Kiran Acharya. "It's crucial in supporting and encouraging further education for young people, especially those who can't access higher education courses equally. It's also crucial in upskilling the workforce and closing the skills gap, considering that currently, over 65% of the population are under 35 years of age."

"We are thrilled to see the fifth batch of students go on to complete the certification," said Sunil Joshi. "With manufacturing technologies and processes developing at a rapid rate, the School of Manufacturing Excellence enables the countries developing engineers the skills they need to succeed. We wish them all the best for their future in manufacturing."