They proved how fast they could replace vehicle tyres, and bagged the first prize in a Tata Motors’ competition

It was a proud moment for Mr S. Viji and Mr P. Suryaprakash, students undergoing training in automotive mechanics at The Leprosy Mission Trust India’s vocational training centre (VTC) in Vadathorasalur, Tamil Nadu. The reason? They bagged the first prize in Pit Stop competition – a competition for dismantling and fixing the four tyres of a vehicle in record time, in the 3rd National Auto-Tech Fest – called Auto Throttle 2019 – conducted by Tata Motors Ltd, in Goa, from March 28-29.

Every year, Tata Motors conducts the event, Auto Throttle, for students undergoing training under its LEAP (Learn, Earn and Progress) programme. This is to encourage the students to test their technical skills through a series of competitions, such as Automobile Quiz, Pit Stop competition, Battle of Trainers, Auto Bots, Service Point, Auto service, Fast and Furious, and Project Expo.

TLM Vadathorasalur VTC is conducting Automobile Assistant-cum-Technician course under the LEAP programme, and Viji and Suryaprakash are being trained under this. They received the award and the certificate of appreciation from Mr Vinod Kulkarni, Head of CSR, Tata Motors Ltd, in the presence of Dr F. Joseph Stanley, General Secretary, Skills for Progress (SKIP), Bangalore, and 132 participants and 28 Tata LEAP partners from across the country.

Both Viji and Suryaprakash belong to Kallakurichi district of Tamil Nadu and are from marginalised families. Their parents are daily wage workers for whom life is a daily struggle. After completing the course at the VTC, Viji and Suryaprakash – and hundreds of young boys and girls who pass out from TLMTI’s VTCs every year – can look forward to realising their dream of a comfortable life. Job opportunities abound and equipping them with job skills and preparing them for life are keys to break the cycle of marginalisation – and that’s what TLMTI’s vocational training centres do.