New Delhi, June 2024.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has showcased its unwavering commitment to giving a boost to quality apprenticeship skill training across sectors as the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) is seeing a major uptick. In the past 3 years, the total enrolments have grown three-fold to touch 9,31,368 youth under National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) in FY2023- 24.

Maharashtra saw an impressive participation of 2,63,156 youth in the scheme, highlighting its ability in building pathways for fresh talent to build their capabilities, enhance job readiness and making them job ready. The other states are Tamil Nadu (1,01,495), Gujarat (83,730), Karnataka (78,444)and Uttar Pradesh (71,444).

There are more than 5.5 lakh vacancies available under apprenticeship on the portalas of now which keeps on consistently increasing and this has immense potential to extend benefits to youth in rural and semi-urban areas in facilitating their smooth transition from education to workforce, thereby, making them job ready professionals.It creates pathways for fresh talent to uplift their capabilities, improve apprentices’ engagement within establishments and provide awareness to the youth on various opportunities existing across the participating companies.

MSDE has undertaken several initiatives to reform the apprenticeship ecosystem in India, including active involvement with stakeholders, launch of DBT under NAPS and mandates companies with 30 or more employees to engage apprentices. Additionally, the apprenticeship portal allows the candidates to explore job opportunities across sectors and filter data based on the academic qualifications and skills that aligns with their aspirations. National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS)000+ Active Establishments

Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE said, “To date, over 32 lakh youth have been engaged as apprentices in various apprenticeship programs across 36 sectors in the country. We are currently working with more than 110 industry clusters, encompassing one-third of India's districts. The direct benefit transfer of stipends has significantly enhanced the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), with more than INR 350 crores disbursed to apprentices’ accounts since its launch last year. The next phase of the scheme will undoubtedly see an increased percentage of apprentices receiving hands-on training across establishments."

Efforts have been taken to spearhead the benefits of Apprenticeship training and vocational training to meet the industry demands while providing on the job training and opportunities for aspiring professionals. The trend indicates a promising opportunity for employers to hire apprentices and aid them in discovering the right job roles while maximising their potential through in-depth skill development.

Apprenticeship training is one of the key components for creating skilled manpower in India to achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat. Amendments in 2014 to the Apprentices Act, 1961 and the Rules in 2019 and launch of NAPS, have been carried out to facilitate the

establishments to engage a greater number of apprentices. The scheme enables apprentices to have access to structured training programs, mentorship opportunities, and hands-on learning experiences tailored to meet industry demands.