Creating skills: Govt looks to change apprenticeship law

Even as the government is working on new strategies to impart skills to the young, apprenticeship training under one of the oldest existing skill development programmes in the country is finally getting attention.

The government, say sources, wants to remodel and expand its apprenticeship scheme as part of efforts to train more people in various employable skills. For this, it is considering an amendment to the Apprenticeship Act, 1961, which makes it mandatory for every private and public sector establishment to employ a given number of apprentices in 188 designated trades.

The compliance has ensured creation of 271,918 apprenticeship seats across the country in both private and public sectors. Just 70 per cent of these seats are filled at present. The number of seats has stagnated in the last ten years, causing concern in the ministry. (box)

The labour ministry, which implements the Act, has asked industry bodies to discuss possible changes in the way the law is being implemented. Its Central Apprenticeship Council, the apex statutory body to advise the government on laying down policies and norms to implement the law, has set up a sub-committee to remodel the scheme.

The main agenda of the sub-committee, scheduled to meet next month, is expansion of the scheme and a hike in stipends. Increasing the number of trades covered by the scheme and improving the apprentice-to-worker ratio is also being considered. The government wants the ratio to be as high as 1:1. The ministry feels this has to be followed by the strengthening of the regulatory mechanism.

The sub-committee has representatives from industry bodies like the CII and Ficci as well as various ministries like industry, small and medium enterprises and textiles.