Second Graduation Ceremony of Japan-Automechanic School

DHAKA, Dec. 20 (NsNewsWire) —  The 2nd graduation ceremony of Japan Automechanic School Ltd. took place on December 18th, 2017 with 16 students graduating as automechanics. All graduates are children of Grameen Bank borrowers.  Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus presided over the graduation ceremony. Mr Hirao Tsuneaki, Managing Director of Japan Automechanic Limited (JAL) and others were present at the graduation ceremony.

The School started operations in January 2015 with an initial intake of 10 students. The school has now 31 students and aims to scale up its capacity gradually to 200 students.  The School is an international joint venture social business between Japanese Foundation NPO SK Dream Japan, Grameen Shikkha and Rangs Workshop Ltd. Its aim is to train Bangladeshi youths in the maintenance and repair of automobiles especially Japan manufactured ones. This venture addresses the issue of unskilled workforce in Bangladesh; providing hands on mechanic and English language training, enabling them to work in any part of the globe. Highly skilled local and foreign trainers from different countries including Japan and Australia teach at the school.

In the admission process, children of Grameen Bank borrowers are screened once a year and the selected applicants get interest free education loan from Grameen Shikkha to pursue their degrees. Students get all equipment, dress, accommodation covered in the loan and also one year grace period before starting to pay back the loan through long term installments.

In his speech, Professor Muhammad Yunus congratulated the new graduates and their parents on the great occasion and inspired them to become leaders in automobile maintenance services in Bangladesh and other countries. He mentioned that another automobile related joint venture with a Japanese company  will be launched very soon which will market reliable automobile spare  parts for better maintenance.

Press Release