The new Zilla Parishad School that was built in collaboration with Skoda Auto India was opened for general public on August 14, 2012. Chairman, Board of Management, Skoda Auto, Dr. Kalyan Kale and Managing Director Sudhir Rao did the honours of opening the doors of the institution. Besides these elite members, senior management officials of the company, key member of Gram Panchayat and native resident were present on the occasion.
Chairman, Board of Management, Skoda Auto, Prof. Dr. Winfried Vahland, quoted, “Education is imperative to development. We at Skoda AUTO know how important a good education is to be successful. Skoda Auto aims to develop and support education with adequate infrastructure and encouragement, since this will secure the future of student community. Though this is only a small contribution from our side, we consider it the most precious and valuable, as it is in the field of education in India, a country known to be the biggest democracy in the world. In 2018 we aim to become an automotive player with at least 1.5 million deliveries annually. So our workers’ and managers’ expertise has to grow in line with our growth strategy. Lifelong learning and learning on the job is critical.”
Sharing the views of Vahland, Rao, commented, “Skoda in India truly follows the philosophy of social responsibility and we undertake certain initiatives to make a small yet valuable difference in the lives around us. With the inauguration of this school building, we are hoping to see a larger number of students attend school and receive the education that will help them throughout their lives.”
President, OSKOVO Skoda Labour Unions, Jaroslav Povsik, stated, “For Skoda's Labour Unions OSKOVO the education of young people always has been a core interest and we welcome the efforts at the school in Shendra. It is important to care for sufficient opportunities at all Skoda facilities around the world.”
Besides, through its '2018 Growth Strategy', the car maker is aiming to boost its international sales volume to a minimum of 1.5 million units every year. The company considers all the emerging markets of the world, including India, significant to achieve its sales target. 2011 was the most successful financial year in the history of the Czech-based automotive giant as it reported a surge in all regions. Skoda India too marked a northbound climb by 50 per cent with sales of 30,005 units; Skoda Rapid being the company's first model in the sedan segment of the Indian auto industry.
Across the globe, the car maker hire services of 26,500 professionals and has rolled out around 8,80,000 cars to the customers worldwide in 2011. The company also makes sure all over the world that its employees and their families are living a healthy lifestyle. It also considers its responsibility towards the well-being of people living nearby its plants as a good neighbour. These benefits assure secure and healthy working environment as well as a state-of-the-art infrastructure to impart training for professional development.
Skoda Auto India also contributes significantly in the field of education as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility Programme. The Indian subsidiary of the car maker constructed a multi-storey school building complete with 10 capacious classrooms, without actually interfering with the regular school schedule. The car maker has provided regular desks, benches and computers in each of these classrooms.
The company also assisted the school management to effectively handle the water management problem, besides building a compound wall. Furthermore, it even provided sanitation facilities in the village. The whole social responsibility initiative by the car maker is indeed a noble gesture and an example to be followed by others.
