Types of Apprenticeship Training

Is your business a new-age start-up, now two years old, 30-strong but still scouting for the right talent? Is your company a large IT services company with over 3000 employees, and growing steadily, with qualified mentors who can train anyone to acquire the skills you need? Or is yours a 10-year-old company trying to overcome the challenges in the market and secure talent on a shoestring budget?

Whatever may be your requirement, apprenticeship training might just be the magic solution you are looking for.

Types of Apprenticeship Training

There are two main types of apprenticeship programs in India. They are the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS). There is also a DDU-GKY scheme which is devoted to help bring up the marginal and under-represented sections of the society. Let us now look at each one of them in more detail.

What is NAPS?

NAPS stands for National Apprentice Promotion Scheme. Instituted in August 2016 by the Government of India, the primary objective of the NAPS Scheme is to help promote apprenticeship in the country. From 2.3 lakhs when the idea of apprenticeship was first created, it hopes to reach 50 lakhs very soon. The efforts seem to be paying off so far. In June 2022, there were nearly 14 lakh apprentices in India.

What Are the Key Features of NAPS Scheme?

The Government of India will provide financial and technological support to corporates who are looking to hire apprentices; in this way, ensuring that the companies get people with the best skills at a lower pay and that the overall skill levels in the youth of the nation also go up.

Covers all courses: This scheme will cover most modular courses instituted by the Central and State Governments.

Online portal: The Government’s online portal provides self-service functionality for training providers, employers and applicants.

Sending offer letters: Employers can send out offer letters to shortlisted applicants from within the portal.

Monitor training progress: The apprenticeship advisor can use the official portal to track the training progress of individual apprentices in each company under NAPS.

Payment from the government: Employers must first raise a claim on the portal for the stipend that is due to them, and then the government will make a payment of up to 7500.

Sharing cost of training: The government will account for up to 1500 and reimburse this amount for the training of each apprentice. Both basic training and on-the-job training are provided to each apprentice.

What is NATS?

NATS stands for National Apprentice Training Scheme. It was instituted by the Government of India in 2006 to give students fresh out of college a chance to implement what they have learned and pick skills on the job that will help them grow in their career. The main objective of the NATS program is to help people find jobs in the formal sector and private establishments through skill training. Let us look at some of the main features of the NATS program now:

What Are the Key Features of NATS?

• Coverage of disciplines: The scheme covers in addition to most disciplines covered by NAPS and others like business, arts and humanities also.
• Divided over regions: At the administrative level, it is divided over four separate regions, north, south, east and west.
• Observation period: The scheme provides a period of 1 year to observe the performance of the candidate before making them regular full-time employees.
• Stipend from the government: Through the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme, the government pays back the employer 50% of the minimum payment that must be made to the apprentices for their services.
• Both forms of trade addressed: Designated trades are offered by the Government and optional trades by private institutions. NATS includes training under both options.
• Freedom to operate as a national company: If an establishment is operating its business in several states of India, then it can operate on a national basis.

What is DDU-GKY?

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) is a placement-led government scheme, which stresses development of youth in rural areas across India. The scheme is also seen as a bold step towards reducing the poverty and unemployment levels in the country.

Currently, DDU-GKY is being implemented in 610 districts in 27 states and 4 union territories at the time of writing of this article. The government is partnering with nearly 900 project implementing agencies, training youth on projects that will enable them to occupy over 600 roles in the country.

The high point of the framework is inclusion and self-regulation, with pre-assigned roles and responsibilities for all the teams within the PIAs.’ The main objective of DDU-GKY is to bridge the existing skill gap between urban and rural communities, with an emphasis on preparing resources with deep and marketable skills.

What Are the Key Features of DDU-GKY?

Let us now look at the key features of DDU-GKY, which make it a very good scheme that helps empower the rural youth in India and find roles that they will excel in.

• Market-linked, placement-oriented program for the youth.
• Assured placement for 70% of the candidates under the program.
• Focus on rural youth in the age group of 15-35 from rural areas and poor backgrounds.
• Mandatory coverage offered for socially disadvantaged groups.
• Minimum salary offered is 6000 or the minimum salary eligible in the state (whichever is higher) after a three-month training.
• Support is provided to candidates even after placement.
• Training partners are also helped by the government as the former help participants through their careers.
• For projects that assess skill levels, preference is given to training providers who can provide overseas or captive placement.
• Promotes PM’s “Make in India” campaign which promotes training programs run in association with industry mentors and DDU-GKY.

How are Apprenticeship training programs like NAPS/NATS beneficial?

NAPS and NATS are beneficial in several ways. Some of the key benefits of the NAPS and NATS programs are:

1. Employers enrolled with NATS/NAPS training are exempt from EPF and ESI contributions to apprentices.
2. A proactive apprentice workforce is created, and quickly becomes an asset to the organisation.
3. The cost of hiring is reduced greatly, as the apprentices who undergo training in the program also start to contribute immediately.
4. If the performance of the apprentices is not satisfactory, employees are free to not employ them.
5. The training programs from the centre and training partners are very good and help you get a skilled apprentice to do your work very soon.
6. Employers receive government stipend for employing apprentices, even during their training.
7. Attrition rates are low post apprenticeship as many decide to stay on in their respective companies.
8. Helps create a good reputation for the brand as one that works with the local community, and this is especially the case if they contribute to DDU-GKY also.

Are You Looking for an Apprenticeship Training Provider?

Is your business looking for apprentices but unsure of how to train them? With over two decades of experience hiring the best talent for multiple Fortune 50 companies, Alp Consulting is a reputable organisation in the Apprenticeship Training world as well.

As a certified NAPS/NATS training partner and a DDU-GKY PIA, we provide best-in-class training to help mould youth who will make our country proud by achieving greatness in the corporate space. Talk to us today.

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