Toyota Educators Opt for Strict Approach Towards Generation Z Students
Toyota Technical Skills Academy: A Comprehensive Training Ground for Future Technicians
The Toyota Technical Skills Academy, located in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan, is a unique facility that offers a comprehensive training program for aspiring automotive technicians[1][2]. Established by Toyota's founder Kiichiro Toyoda in 1938, the academy has been a cornerstone of Toyota's commitment to developing skilled professionals for over 85 years[2].
The program is designed to produce highly competent technicians capable of servicing Toyota vehicles to exacting manufacturer standards[1][3]. Trainees undergo a rigorous training regimen, which includes team discipline training, such as long runs, vocal exercises, endurance swims, and multi-day long-distance walks, to build physical and mental resilience[1].
The program's curriculum encompasses both academic and technical learning, with subjects ranging from welding and sheet-metal working to other monozukuri skills[1][2]. Current Toyota employees serve as instructors and advisors, with technicians from various genba rotating on a three-year basis[1].
Trainees are treated as Toyota employees and receive a monthly salary (a stipend of around 160,000 yen) and twice-yearly bonuses[3]. They live in dormitories away from home and follow a structured daily routine, which includes study hours, practical workshops, and team building activities[1].
The academy is one of only four facilities in Japan where students can obtain a high school diploma upon graduation[2]. It also covers the costs of meals, uniforms, living spaces, salaries, and other expenses for several hundred trainees[2].
The academy's mission is to promote teamwork among trainees to ensure worker safety and customer satisfaction[1]. It also nurtures professionals committed to quality, as reflected in its modern education that emphasizes individual values[1].
The academy is not just a training ground for automotive technicians, but also a research hub for Toyota in non-automotive fields[2]. It embodies Toyota's philosophy that people are not a cost, and monozukuri is about developing people, a principle that extends beyond the academy's trainees[2].
Hisashi Yamashita, the director of the Toyota Technical Skills Academy, is a graduate of the school and a former sheet metal technician who won gold at international WorldSkills competitions[2]. His leadership reflects the academy's commitment to excellence and its dedication to nurturing future leaders in the automotive industry.
[1] https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/corporate/23272809.html [2] https://www.toyota-global.com/innovation/toyota-technical-skills-academy/ [3] https://www.toyota-global.com/innovation/toyota-technical-skills-academy/apprentice-career-training-program/
The Toyota Technical Skills Academy not only offers comprehensive training for future technicians, but also promotes personal growth and education-and-self-development through its curriculum, which encompasses both academic and technical learning. The academy's mission extends beyond fostering skilled technicians, as it also cultivates professionals committed to quality, emphasizing individual values and teamwork for worker safety and customer satisfaction.
