How great engineers are developed at Bajaj Auto

The success of a company depends on how it trains its employees to become leaders and play a critical role in its journey of growth and progress.

Bajaj Auto follows this mantra very well, and that is precisely why the Company is globally known for its engineering excellence.

The Company has chalked out a plan for the young engineers it hires from the top engineering colleges of the country.

“Over the years, Bajaj Auto has inducted the best of talent from institutes of national importance, that is, IITs and NITs, IISc, BITS, NID and COEP, with the senior leadership team of its R&D and engineering departments involved in the selection process,” shares Ravi Kyran, CHRO, Bajaj Auto.

A specialised induction and training programme has been designed for the new hires. The Graduate Trainee Engineering (GTE) programme, is aptly called ‘Flying Start’. As per the Company, every year, 150 top-notch engineers are inducted into this programme. They are trained to hold critical roles in the Company and take on leadership positions in the future.

“The objective is to groom the best of them for leadership roles,” mentions Kyran.

The one-year GTE programme trains engineers and places them into real-time projects. The programme is designed to provide the engineers a sharp view of the pillars of the research and development (R&D) and engineering departments, and to ensure they hit the ground running through live projects assigned to them over the course of the year.

These handpicked engineers are mentored and guided by the top leadership.

According to Kyran, through these projects, GTEs acquire the ability to approach a solution from multiple perspectives and identify the most viable solution, which can be implemented.

“The projects involve solving real-time challenges where the solutions are incorporated in ongoing live business projects. The challenges revolve around product innovation at R&D and robotics and automation, that are critical for our manufacturing plants,” shares Kyran.

After the year is over, the GTEs are allocated key roles within the various subdepartments at the R&D and engineering departments.

The talent built under the GTE programme forms a major pool for the Company. These GTEs are prepared to take up senior roles in the organisation. The prime example of this is Abraham Joseph, chief technology officer, Bajaj Auto, who joined the organisation as a GTE from NIT Bhopal.

“The projects involve solving real-time challenges where the solutions are incorporated in ongoing live business projects. The challenges revolve around product innovation at R&D and robotics and automation, that are critical for our manufacturing plants”

To further grow the technical capabilities of employees and give them a global exposure, Bajaj Auto has tied up with Loughborough University (LU). Employees can enrol for courses, which are open to all employees at Bajaj Auto.
Employees can pursue a master’s in the fields of automotive systems engineering, mechanical engineering and materials sciences & technology.

As part of its coursework on testing, employees are taken to MIRA, which is a vehicle engineering, testing and development facility in Nuneaton, UK. They are also taken on a trip to the Jaquar Land Rover plant at Solihull.

Employees also enjoy the opportunity to visit companies, which work on intelligent energy systems and study about different fuel cells, their manufacturing, testing and application, both automotive as well as non-automotive.

This year, six employees completed their master’s from LU. The graduation ceremony was held at the corporate office of Bajaj Auto.