Haryana Government to engage 15000 apprentices

These apprentices will be eligible for a stipend too.

Skilling the workforce has been the focus of the Government recently, and various skilling programmes have been initiated for this purpose.

Taking a step towards skilling the people in the state, the Haryana Government is going to engage around 15000 apprentices in its various departments, boards and corporations by December 1, as per the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS).

The Government has instructed all departments to engage apprentices to the extent of 10 per cent of their total manpower, including contractual or outsourced employees working at directories and in field offices.

The skill development and industrial departments in the state will be the nodal department for monitoring the engagement of apprentices.

These apprentices will be paid a stipend too. For the first year of training, 70 per cent of the minimum wages of semi-skilled workers notified by the state will be paid. In the second year, the stipend will increase to 80 per cent of the minimum wages of semi-skilled workers and in the third year it will be 90 per cent.

As per the NAPS, the Central Government will reimburse 25 per cent of the prescribed stipend, subject to a maximum of Rs 1500 per month, per apprentice, to the employer, for the period of apprenticeship training.

The Finance Department has allocated a sum of Rs 31.64 crore for this purpose.

To avail the benefit of the NAPS, online registration of establishments and apprentices is essential on the apprenticeship portal.

All the eligible establishments are required to engage a required number of apprentices to prevent penal action under the Apprenticeship Act 1961, which directs state departments and state public-sector undertakings—such as universities, boards, corporations, councils, nigams, agencies, municipal corporations and committees—to engage apprentices in the prescribed numbers and pay the stipend at the prescribed rates.