Toyota has lately stepped up its car dealership business by introducing second hand cars. Photo/FILE
What you need to know:
The academy is expected to supply the global auto giant with skilled personnel and help it extend its reach in the region.
It will offer short courses in partnership with local technical institutions.
Toyota Kenya has revealed plans to open an academy in Nairobi that will train mechanics and offer business courses.
The academy, which is scheduled to be opened at the end of this month, is expected to supply the global auto giant with skilled personnel and help it extend its reach in the region.
It will offer short courses in partnership with local technical institutions.
Toyota Kenya chairman Dennis Awori said the move to launch an academy was motivated by a need to “fill a standards gap in the local motor industry”.
“The short courses will include training on earthmoving machinery, accounting, entrepreneurship and car maintenance, among others,” said Mr Awori, adding that training on earthmoving machinery was hardly catered for in most institutions.
The Toyota Kenya Academy, which will accommodate an estimated 100 students at a time, will be located at the recently unveiled Tsusho Business Park at Bellevue, off Mombasa Road in Nairobi.
Toyota has lately stepped up its car dealership business by introducing second hand cars. It has also won massive construction contracts that could require more technicians than are available locally.
The plan to establish a training academy could be aimed at ensuring it has access to a pool of well-trained, local workers.
Mr Awori said room will be created to accommodate more pupils in future, adding that they would introduce a course on innovative ways of car maintenance.
“We are now putting all training equipment in place ahead of its official opening at the end of this month,” he said Friday on the sidelines of the Aidex African Conference in Nairobi.
Key topics discussed at the Aidex conference revolved around innovation and how new trends can help the country to stop depending on foreign aid.
Expansion plans
Toyota Kenya is set to construct a 280 megawatt power plant at Olkaria that will make the company an independent power producer.
“We hope to supply the national grid and look forward to the commissioning of the plant before the end of this year,” said Mr Awori.
Toyota Kenya has adopted aggressive expansion plans to open outlets in all counties across the country. The company currently operates 16 outlets, 10 more than the six it was running a year ago.
Toyota Kenya, just like rivals CMC, Simba Colt, DT Dobie and General Motors, has positioned itself to reap from the increased demand of commercial vehicles from sectors such as public transport and haulage.
PAYE Tax Calculator
Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
