CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Japanese automobile maker Nissan to set up a training facility in Chennai, which will skill 100 engineers, state Industries Minister TRB Rajaa said.
The facility will also train the engineers in spoken Japanese language following which they will receive employment at Nissan’s centres in Japan, he added.
Rajaa was speaking to reporters at the sidelines of the Tamil Nadu EFTA Business Summit in Chennai on Wednesday. The summit was organised by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) in collaboration with Guidance Tamil Nadu.
“Tamil Nadu has a passion for Industries and we want to add value to the tech be it Swiss precision or German quality…. Our intention is not to sign MOUs for the sake of it or for highlighting the investment numbers. Our focus is on conversion and providing employment opportunities to the youth of Tamil Nadu,” he said speaking at the event.
Rajaa called for the creation of a working group with both EFTA stakeholders and SICCI members that will coordinate the negotiations on a fixed timeline. SICCI has already collaborated to create an EFTA Desk to further encourage collaboration.
“It was a pleasure to participate in the signing of an MoU between @Guidance_TN and Ehime Nissan to establish an Automotive Technician Training School in our state.
When we visited one of their units in Ehime Japan, I had personally invited them to visit Tamil Nadu and hire our highly talented young workforce This initiative will train, certify and place Tamil Nadu’s youth in Japan’s automotive industry over the next three years.
The programme will combine Japanese technical standards with language training, giving our polytechnic students access to world-class learning. Participants will train in Tamil Nadu and then undergo advanced training in Japan, with the opportunity to work there,” he wrote on X.
The event also saw the participation of Ambassadors and stakeholders from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), comprising Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein including Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, Benedikt Höskuldsson, Ambassador of Iceland to India
Speaking at the event, Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, Embassy of Switzerland, New Delhi, said that the EFTA countries are committed to promoting investments in India, targeting $100 billion over the next 15 years, creating 1 million jobs. The bullish sentiment was echoed by Benedikt Hoeskuldsson, Ambassador of Iceland to India, Embassy of Iceland, New Delhi, who said the TEPA agreement will bolster the trade between India and Iceland in three key sectors, including Premium seafood and food products, technology and geothermal energy.
