As part of Skill India initiative, Ministry of Railways has been contributing in a big way to provide training to Apprentices in various disciplines training in categories like Fitter, Turner, Machinist, Welder, Painter, Carpenter, Electrician, Refrigerator and AC Mechanic, Mechanic (Motor Vehicle/Diesel) etc., since long.  Ministry of Railways has kept a target of training of 30 thousand Apprentices in its 16 Zonal Units and 7 Production Units.

For the year 2017-18, about 26,000 training slots for Apprenticeship training have been notified.  This is in addition to over 4000 persons already undergoing training in various establishments.  An Employment Notification has been issued earlier in the week for recruitment of 62,907 staff in Level 1 pay scale and out of these, apprentices trained in Railway establishments will be given preference to the tune of over 12,000 vacancies which is in line with the recent amendments made in the Apprentices Act, 1961

With a large set up of Workshops and Production Units, Indian Railways has been in the forefront of implementation of the Apprentices Act, 1961.  Railway Workshops have been imparting Apprentices. A large number of Apprentices were turned out from these Workshops and Production Units every year who were certified and granted the NCVT (National Council for Vocational Training) Certificate, making them employable for jobs in industry as well as for posts in Railways.  In this way, the Indian Railways is contributing to Skill India.

Railway recognizes that skill development of the labour force is an important component of development of Human Resources.  It is crucial for the industrial development of the country.  Skill training imparted through formal institutions alone is not sufficient to make the labour force fully skilled.  This needs to be supplemented by training in the actual work place.

Apprentices’ Training consists of Basic Training and On-the-Job Training/Practical Training at workplace.  Basic training is an essential component of apprenticeship training for those who have not undergone any institutional training/skill before taking up on-the-job training/practical training.  It counts for 20-30% of overall duration of Apprenticeship Training.  The component of on-the-job training is performed and undertaken in the establishment itself.