(MSDE) will convene the 38th meeting of the
Central Apprenticeship Council (CAC)on Monday, nearly four years after the last meeting was held in June 2021. The council, under the chairmanship of Jayant Chaudhary, minister of state (independent charge), MSDE, is likely to deliberate on the enhanced stipend rates linked to inflation, global deployment of Indian apprentices, digital and virtual mode apprenticeship delivery and integration of degree apprenticeships through rule amendments, among others, MSDE said in a statement issued on Saturday.
“The Council, reconstituted in October 2024, plays a pivotal role in advising the government on key policies related to
apprenticeship training across the country and the outcomes from the upcoming council meeting are expected to significantly shape India’s skilling priorities in the years ahead,” it said.
The council comprises representatives from central ministries, state governments, industry (public and private), academia, labour bodies, and technical experts.
Besides, members including chairpersons of BHEL, Indian Oil, Tata Group, Maruti Suzuki, Reliance Industries, NSDC, UGC, AICTE, and senior bureaucrats from ministries such as education, labour, MSME, railways, and textiles will be part of the deliberations including state apprenticeship advisors from ten states.
Apprenticeship training in India is imparted under the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (
NATS), which is administered by the ministry of education, and the Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (PM-NAPS), run by MSDE.Since 2020-21, 3.55 million apprentices have been engaged under NAPS while 1.29 million have been engaged under NATS, taking the total number of apprentices engaged in the country to 4.84 million in five years till 2024-25.While the government has incurred a total expenditure of Rs 1554.55 crore under NAPS between 2022-23 and 2024-25, Rs 1890 crore has been spent under NATS between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
The government is of the view that the fragmentation of apprenticeship efforts across ministries, education and skill development, has resulted in siloed execution. “Second, while apprenticeship is legally backed by the Apprentices Act of 1961, industry
Uptake, especially among MSMEs, remains low due to administrative complexity, limited awareness, and perceived regulatory burdens,” MSDE said, adding another challenge is low offtake in the north-east region with only 1.2% of apprentices hailing from the north eastern region, despite targeted incentives.
