Archive · 5 Aug 2026
India raises apprenticeship target 40% to 600,000 students
Imagine you finish school or college but have never done the actual job.
An apprenticeship is like a practice job where companies teach you real skills while you work and learn.
The government of India runs a big programme called NATS to arrange these practice jobs for students.
This year, the government decided to make the programme much bigger, aiming for 600,000 students instead of 428,000.
That is 40% more students, and it has set aside ₹1,250 crore to pay for it.
The government also wants companies to grade their apprentices, and at least 40% of them should get a 'good' rating or better.
It is doing this because many young people cannot find jobs, and there were big student protests about it.
Some experts say the idea is good, but we need to check if these programmes actually help young people find real jobs.
A government report found that only about half of the students who signed up for a similar scheme actually got an apprenticeship.
So the challenge is making sure companies really hire and keep these young workers.
The Centre raised the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) target by 40% to 600,000 students for 2026-27, up from 428,000 a year ago.
The government has allocated ₹1,250 crore for the scheme in the current fiscal year.
A new quality benchmark requires at least 40% of apprentices to be rated "good" or above by the industries where they train.
The move aims to address youth unemployment and the gap between academic qualifications and industry requirements, following student protests that led to Dharmendra Pradhan's exit as Union education minister.
A NITI Aayog report found only 3.776 million of 7.844 million NAPS registrants, about 48%, secured apprenticeships, prompting calls for a National Apprenticeship Mission.
- Who
- The Government of India (the Centre), working with industry bodies and experts.
- What
- Raised the apprenticeship target under the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) by 40% to 600,000 students for 2026-27, with a new quality benchmark and ₹1,250 crore allocation.
- When
- Announced for the 2026-27 fiscal year, with the current fiscal year budget allocated.
- Where
- India, announced in New Delhi.
- Why
- To address youth unemployment and the mismatch between academic qualifications and industry requirements.
Government / Scheme Supporters
Experts / Critics
Expanding the apprenticeship target
Government / Scheme Supporters
Raising the target by 40% to 600,000 shows the government's commitment to making young people employable through training aligned with industry demand.
Experts / Critics
There is no clear evaluation of whether such schemes actually integrate youth into the labour market; the problem may lie in scheme design or weak private-sector demand.
Private-sector absorption of young workers
Government / Scheme Supporters
The government is doing its part through initiatives like the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme and skilling programmes.
Experts / Critics
The private sector is not absorbing enough young workers, and small businesses (MSMEs) that do most hands-on training need monetary and non-monetary incentives.
- Scheme
- National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS)
- New target (2026-27)
- 600,000 students
- Previous target
- 428,000 students
- Budget allocation
- ₹1,250 crore (current fiscal year)
- Quality benchmark
- At least 40% of apprentices rated "good" or above by training industries
- Unemployment rate (June 2026)
- 5.5% (ages 15 and above)
- NATS apprentices trained in 2025
- 523,024 individuals
- NAPS conversion rate
- 3.776 million apprenticeships out of 7.844 million registrants (about 48%)