JOIN USApprenticeship scheme gets govt nod
Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme having an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore with a target to train 50 lakh apprentices by 2019-20.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The scheme would be implemented by Director General of Training (DGT) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
It is for the first time a scheme like this has been designed to offer financial incentives to employers to engage apprentices. In addition, it also supports basic training, which is an essential component of apprenticeship exercise.
The government would support 50% of the total expenditure incurred to provide basic training. As per an official statement, 25% of the total stipend payable to an apprentice would be shared with employers directly by the government. “The scheme will catalyse the entire apprenticeship ecosystem in the country and it will offer a win-win situation for all stakeholders. It is expected to become one of the most powerful skill-delivery vehicle in the country,” the statement said.
Talking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government's focus was on job creation and skill development. He said 17 mobile phone manufacturers have started making their devices in India.
Central public sector units were providing only 36,000 apprenticeship while those in the states were apprenticising 1.8 lakh.
Apprenticeship training is considered to be one of the most efficient ways to develop skilled manpower for the country. It provides for an industry led, practice oriented, effective and efficient mode of formal training.
The National Policy of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015, launched by the Prime Minister focuses on apprenticeship as one of the key components for creating skilled manpower in India.
The present scheme also aims to achieve the objective as stated in the National Policy, 2015, the statement added. The policy proposes to work pro-actively with the industry, including MSME, to facilitate ten-fold increase in opportunities in the country by 2020.