Apprenticeship Training Scheme

BACKGROUND

Development of human resource is crucial for the industrial development of any nation. Up-gradation of skills is an important component of Human Resource Development. Training imparted in institutions alone is not sufficient for acquisition of skills and needs to be supplemented by training at the workplace. The Apprentices Act, 1961 was enacted with the prime objective to utilize fully the facilities available in industry for imparting practical training with a view to meeting the requirements of skilled manpower for industry. Initially, the Act covered the apprenticeship training for the trade Apprentices and was subsequently amended in 1973, 1986, and 2014 to bring the Graduates, Technician, Technician (Vocational), and Optional Trade Apprentices respectively under its purview.

OBJECTIVES

Apprentices Act, 1961 was enacted with the following objectives:

To regulate the programme of training of apprentices in the industry so as to conform to the prescribed syllabi, period of training etc. as laid down by the Central Apprenticeship Council.
To utilise the facilities available in industry for imparting practical training with a view to meeting the requirements of skilled manpower for industry.

MONITORING OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACT

The Directorate General of Training under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship monitors the implementation of the Apprentices Act in respect of Trade Apprentices in Central Government Undertakings & Departments and establishments operating business in four or more states through six Regional Directorates of Apprenticeship Training (RDAT) located at Chennai, Faridabad, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Kolkata, and Mumbai.
State Apprenticeship Advisers are responsible for implementation of the Act in respect of Trade Apprentices in State Government Undertakings/ Departments and Private Establishments.
The Department of Education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Act in respect of Graduate, Technician & Technician (Vocational) Apprentices through four Boards of Apprenticeship Training located at Chennai, Kanpur, Kolkata and Mumbai.

FIELDS OF APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING

Apprenticeship training can be provided to apprentices both in designated and optional trades.

Designated Trade (DT)

Designated Trade means any trade or occupation or subject field in engineering, non-engineering, technology, or any vocational course notified by the Central Government after consultation with the Central Apprenticeship Council (CAC).
Duration of apprenticeship training in DT for ITI pass-outs is ordinarily one (1) year.
Duration of apprenticeship training in DT for freshers or non-ITI pass-outs is ordinarily two (2) years.

Optional Trade (OT)

Optional Trade means any trade or occupation or subject field in engineering, non-engineering, technology, or vocational course as may be determined by the employer.
Duration of apprenticeship training in OT can be six (6), nine (9), or twelve (12) months.
In certain cases, the duration can exceed one (1) year, subject to approval from MSDE.
Compliance with NSQF under NAPS-2 is not mandatory. However, government stipend support is limited to NSQF-aligned courses.

Categories of Apprentices

There are six categories of apprentices:

Degree Apprentices – (Degree from any recognized university or institution)
Technician Apprentices – (Diploma in any stream)
Technician (Vocational) Apprentices – (Vocational certificate holders)
National or Trade Certificate Holder – (Certificate issued by NCVT or SCVT)
Skill Certificate Holder – (Certificate of training less than one year under NSQF)
Fresher Apprentice – (No formal skill or institutional training from Class V onward)

Coverage

It is obligatory for employers with a manpower strength of 30 or more and the required training infrastructure to engage apprentices.
Employers must engage apprentices in the band of 2.5% to 15% of their total manpower, including contractual staff.
Within this, a minimum of 5% should be reserved for Fresher or Skill Certificate Holder apprentices.
Establishments may choose the categories and trades for apprentices based on their on-the-job training facilities.

STIPEND

STIPEND
S.No	Category	Prescribed minimum amount of stipend
(i)	School pass-outs (class 5th –class 9th )	Rs.5000 per month
(ii)	School pass-outs (class 10th )	Rs.6000 per month
(iii)	School pass-outs (class 12th)	Rs.7000 per month
(iv)	National or State Trade Certificate holder (ITI Passed)	Rs.7700 per month
(v)	Technician apprentices or diploma holder in any stream or sandwich course (students from degree institutions)	Rs.8000 per month
(vi)	Graduate apprentices or degree apprentices or degree in any stream	Rs.9000 per month

Note– 10% increase in stipend for 2^nd year & further 15% increase in stipend for 3^rd year of training.

TRAINING OF TRADE APPRENTICES

Minimum age is 14 years.
Qualifications vary from Class 5’th to 12’th,ITI Pass, Diploma, B.Tech, B.E, B.Sc., B.A, B.Com, or any type of Graduate or Post Graduate Degree.
Period of training varies from 06 months to 3 years.
Training comprises Basic Training and Practical Training followed by Related Instructions as per prescribed syllabus for each trade.
Designated Trade (DT) – 261 trades in 39 trade groups.
Optional Trade (OT) – 570 Courses in 44 Sectors.
Numbers of seats for apprentices are calculated in the band of 2.5% to 15% of the total strength of the workers.
Every apprentice and employer has to enter into a contract of apprenticeship training, which is registered by the Apprenticeship Advisers.
Employers and apprentices have to fulfill their obligations under the Act.

TESTING AND CERTIFICATION OF TRADE APPRENTICES

TESTING AND CERTIFICATION OF TRADE APPRENTICES
Trade	Area	Sub Area	Testing Agency	Certification
Trade	Area	Sub Area	Testing Agency	Certification
Designated Trade	Practical	Practical Exam	Employer	National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) awarded by DGT.
Optional Trade	Practical Theory	Practical Exam Online Exam	Employer Concerned Sector Skill Council (SSC)	Joint Certification done by SSC and Employer

NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP PROMOTION SCHEME-2 (NAPS -2.0)

NAPS-2.0 aims to promote apprenticeship training in the country by providing partial stipend support to the apprentices engaged under the Apprentice Act, 1961, undertaking capacity building of the apprenticeship ecosystem, and providing advocacy assistance to the stakeholders.
It builds upon the efforts of the Government of India towards improving ease of doing business by simplifying processes of apprenticeship engagement and further accelerating the momentum created by the previous version of the scheme, i.e., NAPS.

The objectives of NAPS-2.0 are as follows:

To develop skilled workforce for the economy by promotion of on-the-job experiential training.
To encourage establishments to enrol apprentices by sharing partial stipend support to the apprentices.
To provide up-skilling opportunities for candidates who have undergone short-term skill training offered by various Central and State Government initiatives.
To encourage enrolment of apprentices in small establishments especially Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and those located in the underserved areas such as aspirational districts and North-East Region.

Funding support under NAPS-2.0

Partial stipend support by GoI under NAPS-2.0 will be limited to 25% of stipend paid, up to a maximum of Rs.1,500 per month, per apprentice during the training period.
The stipend support by GoI will be paid through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the bank account of apprentices.
No stipend support will be available under NAPS-2.0 to the Central and State Government Departments and Central and State Public Sector Undertakings/Enterprises, including Public Sector Banks.
Large private organisations will be encouraged to join a “Give It Up Campaign” and forego the stipend support by GoI under the scheme.

Apprenticeship Portal
Candidate Registration on NAPS Portal
Establishment Registration on NAPS Portal
Apprenticeship Opportunities on NAPS Portal