Fri Mar 28 13:17:32 UTC 2025: ## Vijayawada’s Auto Nagar to Get Skills Upgrade Center Amidst Technician Concerns

**Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, March 28, 2025** – The Andhra Pradesh government plans to establish a Center of Excellence near Vijayawada’s Auto Nagar to upskill automotive technicians. The initiative, to be launched via a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), aims to address the skills gap impacting the city’s automotive hub, once considered the second largest in South Asia. The government hopes to bolster the approximately 100,000-strong workforce, equipping them with globally competitive skills.

However, the plan has been met with lukewarm reception from many technicians. Many are illiterate and apprehensive about formal training programs. “We don’t even know how to write a quotation,” stated one technician, Suresh. The aging workforce, largely lacking digital proficiency, struggles to adapt to modern vehicles featuring advanced digitized technologies.

The decline in the number of technicians is attributed to several factors, including the lack of appeal of physically demanding work to younger generations and the increased opportunities presented by higher education. Auto Nagar Technicians’ Association president R. Venkata Ramana Rao, emphasized that many technicians began working at a very young age and honed their skills through years of experience. He suggested integrating industrial training into formal education as early as Class IV to address the long-term workforce shortage. The association expresses skepticism regarding the effectiveness of the government’s proposed training for the existing workforce. The government, however, remains committed to addressing the concerns and modernizing the skills of the region’s auto technicians.

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