Govt to amend Apprenticeship Act to enhance opportunities for youth

To enhance opportunities for youth, the government on Monday proposed to amend the Apprenticeship Act and realign the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme for post-education apprenticeship, training of graduates and diploma holders in engineering.

Presenting the Budget for 2021-22 in Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said over Rs 3,000 crore will be set aside for this purpose.

''In 2016, we had launched the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme. The government proposes to amend the Apprenticeship Act with a view to further enhancing apprenticeship opportunities for our youth,'' Sitharaman said.

The National Apprenticeship Training Scheme for providing post-education apprenticeship, training of graduates and diploma holders in Engineering shall be realigned and over Rs 3,000 crore will be provided for this purpose.

The minister also said that an initiative is underway in partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to benchmark skill qualifications, assessment, and certification, accompanied by the deployment of certified workforce.

''We also have a collaborative Training Inter Training Programme between India and Japan to facilitate transfer of Japanese industrial and vocational skills, technique, and knowledge. We will take forward this initiative with many more countries,'' Sitharaman said.

Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship MahendraNath Pandey welcomed the Budget. Pandey emphasized that the focus on Apprenticeship Training showcases the government's intent to leverage apprenticeship opportunities for the youth across industries, and nudge skill development to a demand-driven ecosystem.

He summed up saying, by focusing on partnerships at the global level, Union Budget 2021 has given an impetus to collaborative training programmes that have facilitated the exchange of vocational skills and knowledge with other countries, all towards making India the Skill Capital of the World.

The Apprenticeship Act 1961 was last amended in 2014.

The Act was enacted with the objective of regulating the programme of training of apprentices in the industry by utilizing the facilities available for imparting on-the-job training. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is the administrative ministry responsible for implementation of the Act.