India is set to get its first dedicated automobile design institute, the Indian School for Design of Automobiles (INDEA). Set to begin by late 2025, Xavier School of Management (XLRI) will set up the institute in collaboration with automotive expert Avik Chattopadhyay. It will be located at the XLRI Delhi-NCR campus.
About the Indian School for Design of Automobiles
The main highlight of the institute is the one-year Master's degree in Automobile Design & Management. According to the institue's management, the course will have a class size of 20-25 students from all graduate schools, who will be selected after a screening process. Apart from going into the nitty-gritty details of automotive design, students will also be trained in managing design teams. It is worth noting that the specifics of the curriculum are being finalised.
Apart from the master's degree, there will also be refresher courses for automotive designers who want to fine-tune their skills, and inductions for chief experience officers (CXOs). The management is also considering offering a course on automotive restoration.
About the management
XLRI is one of the oldest business schools in the country, and together with their former student, Chattopadhyay, has decided ‘to bridge the gap for skilled designers who also understand the nuances of management and customer preferences, creating well-rounded professionals for the Indian automotive industry.
While Indian universities such as the National Institute of Design, the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Management offer some automotive-related programmes, there is no dedicated institute for automobile design in the country.
When asked about the recruitment problems faced in the Indian automotive design industry, Avik Chattopadhyay said, "The gap lies in the fact that schools are not specialised. Automotive designing ends up being one of the 17 or 21 courses that they offer. So, the industry ends up spending a lot of time making them unlearn and learn once again."
Chattopadhyay went on to state that students will want to join INDEA because they will be able to get hands-on experience and it'll also be a gateway into the industry.
Dr Fr K S Casimir, director of the XLRI Delhi-NCR campus, threw light on the importance of creativity not just in education, but also in the betterment of the country. He said, "Creativity, innovation and originality will ensure that a country leapfrogs to that superpower status. We want to imbue the entire management education with a kind of spirit where we are able to even blunder into creativity."
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Pratap Bose on careers in auto design, Indian design schools and more