Creating Equal Opportunities In The Automobile Industry-Colleen D’Souza , Mercedes-Benz India

The Indian automobile industry is at the cusp of revolution with Industry 4.0, Automation, Digitisation, and Electric Vehicles. According to a report by FICCI-Nasscom and EY(EY)employment in the automotive sector is likely to reach 14.3 million in 2022 and new skill sets would be required for 60-65 percent of the jobs. While the gender parity in the auto industry and other technical professions is improving as more women pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), it still has a long way to go. As a major employment generator of the country, the industry has the opportunity to lead diversity change and mitigate the challenges.

Women’s current contribution to overall GDP is at 18 percent, which is an improvement over the past but remains low. However, the good news is, simply by giving equal opportunities to women India could add $770 billion to its GDP by 2025. McKinsey estimates(Company) that higher participation of women in the workforce, raising the number of hours spent by them on the job, and including them in higher-productivity sectors will help spur such economic growth.

No industry today can afford to have a myopic view of diversity and inclusion–it is not only important for social and cultural reasons, but it is also critical for business survival. Hence, to meet the growing demand for critical talent needed to drive the next growth phase of Indian auto industry, it is imperative to have a diverse lens while building a comprehensive plan inclusive of skill development, and recruitment.

Benefits:

• Creative Thinking: Having a diverse workforce will help you manage the ever-changing and volatile business climate. Organizations can build on ideas and unique solutions that may have been a blind spot or overlooked by harnessing the unique individual thinking patterns that employees bring.
• Inclusive Culture: Allowing people to contribute to their full potential by bringing their true selves, thinking independently, and exploring their ideas influences productivity. Promoting a safe environment and amplifying the voices of everyone in the room not only fosters creativity and innovation, but also makes employees feel respected, valued, and heard.
• Attracting and Retaining Talent: Diversity and Inclusion efforts in recruiting not only strengthen a workforce by positively shaping workplace culture and ensuring equal opportunities, but they can also help meet the growing demand for attracting and retaining highly skilled workers which can also serve as a competitive differentiator. However, diversity and inclusion should not be limited to gender, race, or sexual orientation, but should also include people with special needs. Furthermore, providing training and upskilling is an excellent way to foster an inclusive culture and a diverse talent pool.
• Better Customer Connect: Not only is the world-changing to include equality as a fundamental tenet for brands and entities, but consumers are also beginning to demand diversity as a prerequisite. A diverse workforce ensures greater focus and connection with various customer segments.

At Mercedes-Benz India, we have put in place a four-pronged approach towards achieving diversity at workplace:

• Skill Building: To cultivate a diverse industry-ready workforce, it is imperative to work with academia and build the requisite skillset. Mercedes-Benz introduced the Advanced Diploma in Automotive Mechatronics (ADAM) back in 2006 in reputed institutes in India. This is a 1-yeardiploma, which hones the skillset of the students and introduces them to the latest technological advancements in the world of automobiles. Women colleges are an integral part of the ADAM initiative. In fact, the EV module in the ADAM course was first introduced in MKSSS Women’s college in Pune. 
• Recruitment: Mercedes-Benz India follows recruitment parameters that balance gender and generational parity to create diversity. This is, in addition, to the inclusion of talent from across sectors and not limited to automobile. 
• Sensitization: Mercedes-Benz India ensures consistent programs to sensitize workforce across the organization to be accepting and welcoming of a diverse workforce. This includes creating awareness, myth-busting and enforcing  inclusive behavioral protocol. 

These holistic initiatives will ensure that a diverse workforce is skilled to take on the work, has relevant work opportunities in the industry and finds a conducive environment to work in.