Toyota Instructors Stand Firm in Challenging Generation Z Students
## A Dedicated Training Ground for Toyota Technicians: The Toyota Technical Skills Academy
For over eight decades, the Toyota Technical Skills Academy has been a cornerstone of the Japanese automotive giant's commitment to excellence in technical skills and career development. Rooted in the philosophy that "monozukuri is about developing people," the Academy aims to protect workers by fostering teamwork, nurturing individuals who care about customer satisfaction, and developing professionals committed to quality.
Established by company founder Kiichiro Toyoda in 1938, the Academy originated from the Toyota Technical Youth School. Today, it stands as a facility for training technicians, embodying Toyota's ethos that people are not a cost, but an investment in the future.
The Academy's curriculum encompasses both academic and technical learning, with trainees honing skills in welding, sheet-metal working, and other monozukuri skills. No tuition is required to attend, and trainees are treated as Toyota employees, receiving a monthly salary (around 160,000 yen) and bonuses twice a year.
The Academy's director, Hisashi Yamashita, is a testament to its success. A graduate of the school, Yamashita was a gold-winning sheet metal technician at international WorldSkills competitions. Under his leadership, the Academy continues to thrive, producing graduates who obtain a high school diploma upon graduation and are assigned to their respective workplaces.
The Academy's approach to training is rigorous, with trainees participating in team discipline training, including long runs, vocal exercises, endurance swims, and multi-day long-distance walks. These methods are essential in developing Toyota's technicians, instilling in them a sense of discipline, teamwork, and resilience.
Instructors at the Academy are selected for their intimate knowledge of the genba where trainees will work and their passion for the monozukuri ethos. Current Toyota employees serve as instructors and advisors, with technicians from various genba rotating on a three-year basis. This ensures that the Academy remains connected to the industry and that its training remains relevant and effective.
Toyota invests heavily in training programs to ensure that technicians can provide high-quality service, which is crucial for customer satisfaction and safety. The Toyota Apprenticeship Career Training (T.A.C.T.) program is a prominent example of this investment. It focuses on developing technical skills, leadership abilities, and career paths for technicians, pairing them with experienced mentors and covering their education costs. As technicians gain new certifications, they receive pay increases, which encourages continuous learning and professional growth.
By offering a clear career path and continuous training, Toyota aims to retain skilled technicians and develop their skills further, which is essential for maintaining a competitive edge in the automotive industry. As automotive technology evolves, Toyota's training programs help technicians stay updated with the latest advancements, ensuring they can effectively service modern vehicles.
While the specific details of the "Toyota Technical Skills Academy" are not available in all sources, Toyota's overall approach to training reflects a commitment to excellence in technical skills and career development, which would align with the objectives of such a program. The Academy's coverage of meals, uniforms, living spaces, salaries, and bonuses for several hundred trainees, despite the considerable expenses involved, underscores this commitment.
In a period when many companies established in-house training facilities, but most have since closed due to operating costs and other factors, the Toyota Technical Skills Academy continues to stand as a testament to Toyota's dedication to its workers and its commitment to monozukuri. Trainees live in dormitories away from home during their time at the Academy, forming a close-knit community that supports each other in their journey towards becoming skilled technicians.
In conclusion, the Toyota Technical Skills Academy is a shining example of Toyota's dedication to developing its personnel and ensuring the highest quality of service for its customers. Through rigorous training, a focus on teamwork, and a commitment to continuous learning, the Academy continues to produce skilled technicians who embody Toyota's ethos of monozukuri.
- The Toyota Technical Skills Academy, as a facility for training technicians, embodies Toyota's philosophy of education-and-self-development, fostering personal-growth and learning through academic and technical learning, ensuring the production of quality professionals.
- Under the leadership of the Academy's director, Hisashi Yamashita, a graduate of the school, trainees are instilled with a sense of discipline, teamwork, and resilience, contributing to their personal-growth and learning, aligning with Toyota's commitment to education-and-self-development and the broader goals of learning and personal-growth.
