MechaniK TV expects to see 10,000 enrolments for certification course in 12 months

MechaniK TV, an independent skill-tech platform for automotive mechanics that commenced its online advanced BS-VI certification course on December 25, expects to see around 10,000 enrolments in the next 12 months, its co-founder Rajiv Radhakrishnan has said.

The course, for which the start-up has tied up with the Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC), is initially being provided in Hindi language but it may be offered into other regional languages such as Marathi and Bengali if there is a good response, said Radhakrishnan.

After announcing its strategic partnership with ASDC in September, the platform had said it was looking to go live with the course from early November.

Launched in April 2020 by T7E Aftermarket Connect Pvt Ltd, the platform provides free video-based technical training in Hindi for servicing, majorly two-wheelers.

It claims to have about 60,000 downloads and about 41,000 registered users.

''We went with our course from January 25. Since September, we have mostly been working on the course. The content was mostly ready but there were some glitches that we had to overcome on the tech side.

''We have developed the entire e-learning module internally and have not used any external aid. So, it took a little longer than we thought,'' Radhakrishnan told PTI.

MechaniK TV through its carefully curated technical content has already enabled hundreds of two-wheeler mechanics, he said.

Radhakrishnan added, ''Our whole philosophy is that earlier, a mechanic had to choose between learning and earning that he would not have to any longer, as opting for the course is like investing one day's earning in your future.'' As many as 80 per cent of two-wheelers get services at local garages, today. With 15 million two-wheelers in the market, India does not have the required number of franchise workshops to fulfil these vehicles' service and repair needs, said the platform.

All two-wheelers sold after April 2020 are BSVI vehicles. Not having the required count of skilled hands to service these vehicles will mean higher service costs and longer wait times. Therefore, upgrading and upskilling these local trusted garages is an imperative need of the moment, it said.

Upskilling of mechanics is the platform's objective, and as a part of it, we see the need for mechanics to get certified as they upskill themselves. Certification will give mechanics the ability to showcase to their customers that they are trained on specific skills. This gives customers the confidence to hand over their vehicles to these multi-brand local garages for repair works, said Radhakrishnan.

On completion of the programme, the mechanics will get a certificate that will help them give themselves and their customers the confidence to service their new vehicles at their local trusted garages.

The certification programme has 81 Videos, five formative examinations and one final summative examination. A mechanic has to simply download the MechaniKTV app on his Android phone and take the course, according to the company.

For a complete newcomer into this craft, this may be easily a 100-hour course.

This course, for which the certification will be provided by the ASDC, has the distinction of being India's first Hindi language, purely mobile-based BS-VI course, he added.

''By March, we are expecting at least about 1,500 sign-ups. In the next 12 months, we are expecting to hit 10,000. If there is a good response to this from the mechanics, we have plans to translate this into other regional languages as well,'' said Radhakrishnan.

The platform will observe what the feedback is and then fix all issues if there are any and then translate it into other languages, he said adding that obviously, Hindi is going to be the biggest seller.

''If we get a good response here, we will tap into other languages as well with Maharashtra and West Bengal as the two likely states, to begin with,'' Radhakrishnan said.

Maharashtra has the largest population of two-wheeler mechanics with one-lakh mechanics, according to him.

But, being an advanced course, it will be beneficial to only those who have serviced BS-IV vehicles for some time now. The number of such mechanics in Maharashtra should be 30,000 to 50,000, he said.

He added that the platform is also working for a similar course, which is in the testing stage, for the fast-growing electric vehicle segment.