Toyota Motor Corporation Korea opens Toyota Training Academy to nurture future talent

Toyota Motor Corporation of Korea has opened the Toyota Training Academy, a training and practice space to foster future mobility talent.

The Toyota Training Academy, located in Bojeong-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin, with a gross floor area of 1,507 sq m (1,916 sq ft) and four floors above ground, is a comprehensive training space established to nurture future talent as part of Toyota's transformation into a mobility company. It was renamed and relocated 18 years after its predecessor, the Toyota Training Centre, was established in 2006 in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul.

The Toyota Training Academy will provide common training for all Lexus-Toyota dealers and Toyota Motor Corporation of Korea employees, as well as theoretical and practical courses specific to each division, such as service and sales, combined with the latest technology. In addition, it will be used as a brand experience space for Toyota Motor Corporation, and will also serve as a place for carbon neutrality and community contributions.

Unlike other automotive brands' training centres that focus on service training for dealership staff, Toyota Training Academy provides training content that covers the entire process from service to sales, based on Toyota's management philosophy, the Toyota Production System (TPS). Sales staff can expect to receive training in customer satisfaction (CS) management and customer fleet management, along with vehicle demonstrations, test drives, and delivery-related training. In the service sector, training is provided on the value chain and sheet metal painting (BP), in addition to regular inspection processes, customer service skills, general maintenance and parts knowledge. They will also be trained in Toyota Business Practice (TBP), a Toyota problem-solving method.

The Toyota Training Academy is also an opportunity to experience the brand. Brand elements such as "Making ever better cars" and "Cultivating automotive talent" using motorsport, and "Inheritance and Evolution," Toyota's new system announced last year, are the main concepts behind the space.

Upcycled items such as tables, clocks, and vases made from recycled car body parts were placed inside and outside the building to communicate the value of carbon neutrality, and eco-friendly simulator equipment that uses only water and air instead of real paint was introduced for hands-on painting training to avoid pollution.

The opening ceremony of the Toyota Training Academy, held on 4 April, was attended by Manabu Konyama, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation of Korea, Mitsuhiro Amo, Head of the East Asia and Oceania Department at Toyota Motor Corporation Headquarters in Japan, Hisaaki Suzuki, Head of the Service Department, and representatives from Lexus and Toyota dealerships.

"The Toyota Training Academy will be used not only for technical training as in our existing training centres, but also as a training and human resource development venue to maximise the happiness of each and every customer and prepare for the future," said Manabu Konyama, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation. "It will also be used as a branding space to promote motorsport activities in line with Toyota's global direction of 'Building Better Cars', as well as Toyota Dynamics and its transformation into a mobility company."

It will not be limited to Toyota employees, but will also be actively used as a venue for communication activities in the region to achieve Best-In-Town."

Since the opening of the Toyota Training Centre, Toyota Motor Korea has been making continuous efforts to nurture talent for better customer service, including holding a Lexus-Toyota skills contest for dealer employees.

Article roadtesting editorial (dhseo1208@gmail.com)

Photo Toyota Motor Corporation