The Ministry of Heavy Industries has called for urgent action to prepare India’s young people for jobs in the automotive sector as the country positions itself as a global manufacturing hub. Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy made this appeal while addressing the Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC) Annual Conclave 2026 in New Delhi. The focus is on ensuring India’s workforce can serve both domestic and international automotive industry needs.
What the government wants done
The Ministry emphasises that India’s automotive industry is undergoing rapid change driven by electric mobility, automation, connected technologies and advanced manufacturing systems. The government believes India should not just meet its own workforce needs but become a global source of skilled automotive workers. This requires closer cooperation between training institutions, automobile manufacturers, component makers and dealerships to ensure skills taught match real workplace demands.
During the 2025–26 financial year, the ASDC reached 5,08,173 learners, conducted 1,53,240 assessments and created 2,88,756 apprenticeship contracts across roughly 3,700 establishments. The council recently sent 43 candidates to Romania for employment, demonstrating expanding international job opportunities.
The Minister stressed that simply training candidates is not enough. Young people must acquire skills that lead to actual employment in growing sectors like vehicle manufacturing, battery production, charging infrastructure and after-sales support. He highlighted that continuous upskilling is essential as automotive technologies change rapidly.
What this means for you
If you are a young person interested in the automotive sector, expanded training opportunities now exist through the ASDC and partner institutions, with potential pathways to employment both within India and abroad. Companies and educational bodies need to work together more closely, which means training programmes will increasingly reflect what employers actually need right now. The government is signalling that automotive skills will remain in high demand as India shifts towards electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing technology.