National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme

Jul 26, 2022 | Business


The National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), launched in August 2016, aims to promote apprenticeship training in the country by providing stipend support to the apprentices, undertake capacity building of the apprenticeship ecosystem and provide advocacy assistance to support rapid growth. Further, the objectives of the NAPS are as under:


(i)         To develop skilled manpower for the industry by promotion of on-the-job experiential training.


(ii)        To encourage establishments to enrol apprentices by sharing partial stipend support to the apprentices.


(iii)       To provide up-skilling opportunities for candidates who have undergone short-term skill training.


(iv)       To encourage enrolment of apprentices in small establishments (MSMEs), and those located in under served areas like in aspirational districts and in North-East region.




The total number of apprentices engaged since inception of NAPS is around 13.38 lakh.


Instead of reimbursement of stipends (25% or Rs. 1,500 whichever is less) to the establishment, it is proposed to transfer the amount to the bank account of apprentices by the Government under Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme (DBT). A pilot DBT in this regard was conducted in June, 2022, which will be scaled up to the full scale.


Apprenticeship training is one of the key components for creating sklled manpower in India and contributes to make India ‘Skill capital of the world’. Various reforms, including amendments in 2014 to the Apprentices Act, 1961 and the Rules in 2019 and launch of NAPS, have been carried out to facilitate the establishments to engage more number of apprentices. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has taken many steps, in consultation with various stakeholders, to simplify the portal and the processes and to revise the NAPS guidelines to bring increase in the number of establishments and apprentices. All these have led to increase in the number of apprentices from 2.90 lakh in 2020-21 to 5.8 lakh in 2021-22 and expenditure from Rs. 120 crore to Rs 217 crore during the same period. During the current year, the number of apprentices is expected to reach 10 lakh. Towards this, the government is organizing 250 apprenticeship awareness workshops and monthly apprenticeship mela throughout the country to create awareness about the apprenticeship among the students and the establishments and to create opportunities for apprenticeship for youth.


Currently, two apprenticeship schemes are in implementation, namely, National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education (MoE) and National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) by MSDE. While NATS implements apprenticeship training for engineering graduates, diploma holders and general steam graduates; NAPS is for the rest of the categories of apprentices. Efforts have been taken to bring convergence between the two schemes. Further, UGC has framed guidelines for Higher Education Institutions to offer apprenticeship/ internship-embedded degree/diploma programmes to focus on development of knowledge, skills, aptitude and on-the-job training with industry exposure to enhance job orientation and employability of the graduates/undergraduates students. All the above schemes and programme focus towards specific target group of candidates with intent to bridge the skill gap by imparting on-the-job training and make them Industry-ready and employable.


This information was given by the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.


*****


MJPS/AK




(Release ID: 1844727)
Visitor Counter : 611











Apprenticeship Builds Skills for Green Technology Jobs

Apr 24, 2021 | Business

With a welding certificate from Antelope Valley College in hand, Edward McKee found a job at BYD’s Lancaster bus and coach factory in 2016. Now BYD and AVC have helped him sharpen his skills and build a career in the green technology industry.

He already had a good job building bus frames, which allowed him to buy his first home, but McKee was given an opportunity to train in an apprenticeship program created through a partnership between BYD, SMART Local 105, and Antelope Valley College.

“It’s a stepping stone for me,” McKee said of the apprenticeship program. “Knowledge is power and this makes me more valuable employee. It makes me a more rounded employee and a more versatile employee.”

Called the Industrial Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship, the BYD program totals 16.5 units of college credit. Classroom work includes OSHA 10 safety training, blueprint reading, manufacturing concepts, machine trade mathematics, lean manufacturing techniques, technical memo writing skills, and emerging trends in manufacturing.

“This apprenticeship program helps workers get the skills they need to thrive in the green technology revolution,” said Patrick Duan, Senior Vice President of North America. “Our employees gain skills that will help advance their careers. The company benefits by having skilled workers who will help improve efficiency in production and the quality of our buses.”

Technical training also consists of hands-on training in basic skills, precision metal work, electrical wiring and assembly of complex mechanical and electrical systems, among other skills.

The apprenticeship program is the result of a Community Benefits Agreement between BYD, SMART Local 105, and Jobs to Move America (JMA), a coalition of community-based groups. The agreement, first signed in 2017 and renewed in 2020, calls for creating pathways into the manufacturing industry for underrepresented and underserved populations in Los Angeles County.

Under the CBA, BYD committed to a goal of recruiting and hiring workers from populations facing significant barriers to employment, such as veterans and returning citizens. In addition, populations that have been excluded from the manufacturing industry, such as women and African Americans will also be recruited and placed.

About BYD

The Official Sponsor of Mother Nature™, BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, is the world’s leading electric vehicle company with proven innovative technology for cars, buses, trucks, forklifts, and rail systems – like SkyRail. Globally, BYD is committed to corporate social responsibility, monitoring our supply chain in terms of human rights, environmental safety, hazardous substance control and intellectual property rights. We select only suppliers who share our commitment to labor practices, human rights standards and the environment. BYD has 220,000 employees across the globe, including nearly 1,000 in North America. For more information, please visit www.BYD.com or follow BYD on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Media contact: Jim Skeen, (661) 264-8365