ITI and apprenticeships: get a paid apprenticeship and turn it into a job

An apprenticeship is paid, on-the-job training in a real workplace: a factory, workshop, railway shed, bank or public sector company. For an ITI pass it is one of the surest routes to a first job, because the employer trains you and watches your work for months before deciding whether to hire you. Here is how to get one and make it count.

What an apprenticeship is

• It is governed by the Apprentices Act, 1961. You and the employer sign a contract of apprenticeship, and it is registered with the government.
• There are two kinds of trade. Designated trades are notified by the government, such as Electrician, Fitter, Welder and Mechanic Motor Vehicle. Optional trades are chosen by the employer, such as retail sales or warehouse work.
• The minimum age for a trade apprentice is 14.
• You are a trainee, not an employee. The employer does not have to offer you a job at the end, and you do not have to accept one. If your contract says you must serve after training, the employer must offer you suitable work.

Two portals: NAPS and NATS

• NAPS, at apprenticeshipindia.gov.in, under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship: for school pass-outs, ITI pass candidates and others. ITI trade apprenticeships from private factories and public sector companies are posted here.
• NATS, at nats.education.gov.in, under the Ministry of Education: for graduates, diploma holders and vocational course pass-outs. Training lasts 6 months to a year.
• Railways and many public sector companies also publish their own apprentice notices, with dates and a link to apply.

What you will be paid

Apprentices get a monthly stipend, not a salary. The minimum stipend was raised by the Apprenticeship (Amendment) Rules, 2025, from 11 September 2025:

• Class 5 to 9 pass: ₹6,800 a month
• Class 10 pass: ₹8,200 a month
• Class 12 pass, or ITI with a National or State Certificate: ₹9,600 a month
• Diploma holder (technician apprentice): ₹10,900 a month
• Graduate or degree apprentice: ₹12,300 a month

These are first-year minimums. The rules add 10% in the second year and a further 15% in the third. NATS applied the new rates for graduate and diploma apprentices from 1 April 2026. Employers may pay more: Indian Overseas Bank, for example, set ₹14,000 to ₹15,500 a month for its 2025-26 graduate apprentices, depending on branch location.

Under NAPS-2, the government pays part of the stipend straight into your bank account by Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): 25% of the minimum stipend, up to ₹1,500 a month. The employer pays the rest. So expect two credits each month. NATS also pays a government share by DBT.

How to register and apply

1. Open a bank account in your own name at a scheduled bank. Regional rural banks and foreign banks are not on the DBT list.
2. Make sure your Aadhaar is linked to your mobile number. Both portals use Aadhaar e-KYC by OTP, and NATS also asks for an APAAR ID (the portal helps you create one).
3. Register as a candidate: apprenticeshipindia.gov.in for 10th, 12th and ITI, or nats.education.gov.in for diploma and degree. Use your own Aadhaar; once e-KYC is done it cannot be removed from the profile.
4. Upload your 10th mark sheet, ITI mark sheet and certificate (or provisional certificate), a photo, and a caste or disability certificate if it applies.
5. Search by trade and district. Read each opening for stipend, length, shift and whether stay is given, and apply to several.
6. Check the portal and your email often. Companies may call you for a short test, an interview or a document check.
7. Before you accept, read the contract on the portal: trade, start date, length, stipend and location.

Railway zones (RRCs) usually pick ITI apprentices from a merit list of 10th and ITI marks, with no written exam, so your marks matter. Apply on the zone's website within the notice dates.

What you will learn

Expect basic training in the first weeks: safety, tools and reading drawings. Then you work under a supervisor: wiring and panel work for electricians, fitting and assembly for fitters, joints and inspection for welders, servicing and fault-finding for mechanics. Keep a simple logbook with the date, the job done, the machine or tool used, and who checked it. It becomes your proof in the next interview.

The certificate at the end

• Trade apprentices take the All India Trade Test (AITT), held twice a year. Pass it and you get the National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC).
• The NAC is recognised for employment in government and semi-government organisations, and the Directorate General of Training treats it as higher than the ITI's National Trade Certificate for all purposes.
• Graduate and diploma apprentices get a Certificate of Proficiency from the Government of India.
• In Railways, 20% of Level 1 direct-recruitment vacancies are reserved for Act apprentices who completed training in railway units, and their NCVT marks count in the merit list.

From apprentice to job

In a government evaluation of NAPS-2, about 72% of apprentices surveyed said they received a full-time job offer after training. Give yourself the best chance:

• Treat the apprenticeship as a long interview: be on time, follow safety rules, finish what you start.
• Around the third month, ask your supervisor what it takes to be absorbed.
• Collect proof: your logbook, a supervisor's appraisal, and any skill competition or quality award.
• Two months before you finish, start applying elsewhere too. Write the apprenticeship on your resume as work experience, with numbers. Example: “Maintained 12 CNC machines on a three-shift line; cut changeover time by 10 minutes.” Only write what is true.

Mistakes to avoid

• Paying anyone for an apprenticeship seat.
• Registering with someone else's Aadhaar, or a bank account in another person's name.
• Accepting an offer without reading the contract.
• Skipping the trade test. Without the NAC, months of training are harder to prove.
• Leaving midway without closing the contract properly. Talk to the establishment and the portal helpdesk first.
• Applying to only one or two openings. Apply to several in your trade and district.

Your checklist