“It was a turning point in my career, my life changed after that”, says Eknath.
Eknath Sonawane, a young adult from Jalna district of Maharashtra, now works as cell leader in the Production department of Endress+Hauser India Pvt. Ltd. It all began on a rather ordinary day when he chose to join the dual qualification program offered by Endress+Hauser at their Aurangabad facility.
Eknath is a part of the very first batch of the dual qualification program in the trade of ‘Mechatronics’, which is based on the German dual vocational training. With a vision of creating quality workforce, Endress+Hauser decided to start this certification with help of DUALpro, the vocational training and education brand of AHK India.
Before joining Endress+Hauser as a trainee, Eknath had completed his qualification in the trade ‘Electronics mechanic’ from government ITI Jalna. He however wanted to take admission for the ‘Electrician’ trade. His interest in electrics was still lingering in the back of his mind. So, when he got to know that he would get a chance to learn about welding, electrical & mechanical engineering together in the trade of ‘Mechatronics’, it immediately motivated him to pursue the course.
Eknath mentioned that the employees at Endress+Hauser have the liberty to work across departments on the shop floor. That is why his journey so far is also quite interesting. After the training, he started working on the pressure line under a team leader. After working there for about a year, he moved to another department and started working for the store. New challenges were waiting for him there. Eknath played a significant role in improving the working and solving the problems faced. This resulted in him leading a group of 5 now in the production cell. He says that he could achieve this all because of knowledge and skills learned during the dual program at Endress+Hauser. Every day, he has opportunities to apply his knowledge practically, and everything he learned during the training has been relevant and aligned with industry demands.
When asked about how the vocational training at Endress+Hauser has helped him, he says that it has brought about tremendous changes in him, not only professionally but also personally. He remembers about the time when he was appearing for interviews after completing his training at ITI. He and other trainees were unable to answer when the interviewers asked about the practical skills that they had learnt. He says, they had all the technical knowledge, but fell short of practical skills because they never handled any tools and machinery during their training at ITI. On the other hand, he learned to handle all kinds of tools and machinery from the early stages of his training at Endress+Hauser. The program is designed such that the trainees must do various projects from inception till execution to be able to understand and handle everyday tasks. This has boosted his confidence, which is clearly reflected in his problem-solving and leadership abilities.
Eknath’s quest for learning doesn’t end here: he is now pursuing his diploma in Electronics and Computer engineering and further wishes to seek a degree in Engineering.
