New Delhi: Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan launched the National Apprenticeship and Training Scheme 2.0 Portal and disbursed ₹100 crore stipends to apprentices through the DBT mode in New Delhi on July 30, 2024. These apprentices are undergoing training in various sectors such as IT/ITes, manufacturing, and automobile. This initiative aligns with the Government's focus on skilling and employability of youth. The NATS 2.0 portal is expected to be utilised by a large number of beneficiaries to register and apply for apprenticeships. Additionally, establishments and industries will leverage the portal to manage their vacancies and contracts. Therefore, a significant number of young graduates and diploma holders will be supported in attaining employability skills, accompanied by a guaranteed monthly stipend.

Two panel discussions on the Future of Apprenticeships – Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Program, Credits for all apprenticeship, Industry and Higher Education collaboration, and Leveraging Technology for DBT and Strengthening e-Governance were also organised during the event. Eminent dignitaries, academicians, and students attended these discussions. Top three establishments/industries, Cognizant Technology Solutions Pvt Ltd., Infosys Ltd., and Tech Mahindra Pvt. Ltd. were recognised during the event.

K. Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Department of Higher Education; Prof. T G Sitharam, Chairman, AICTE; Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman, UGC; Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairperson NETF; Govind Jaiswal, Joint Secretary, MoE; Gaurav Singh, Director, Higher Education; academicians, officials, and students also attended the event. Two apprentices shared their experiences during the event.

Dharmendra Pradhan, while addressing the gathering, said that NATS Portal 2.0 is a significant effort to democratise apprenticeship, bridge skills gaps, fulfil youth aspirations, and make them future-ready. He said that the portal launched will widen the reach of apprenticeship opportunities and help in matchmaking candidates and employers.

He further said that this technology-driven age is not only about attaining degrees but also building competencies. Our course curriculum should focus on increasing employability skills, he added. The Minister highlighted that this year’s budget also lays great emphasis on boosting skilling and employment. Our apprenticeship ecosystem should cover diverse and emerging areas, he added. He called upon all stakeholders to chart a comprehensive strategy to harness the country’s demographic dividend.

Pradhan also appealed to all educational institutions and industries to join the NATS 2.0 portal. We have to make apprenticeship a mass movement, he added.

To ensure that the stipendiary benefits of NATS are delivered to intended apprentices in a time-bound, efficient, and transparent manner, the Government of India has initiated the payment of its share of the stipend directly to the apprentices’ bank accounts through the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) mechanism in 2024. It is aimed to extend the use of the DBT system to provide the Government’s share of the stipend to all beneficiaries of the scheme.

The scheme is facilitated by the NATS 2.0 portal, which has been developed in-house by the Ministry of Education with the support of AICTE and BoATs/BoPT as a one-stop solution to manage the apprenticeship lifecycle activities like student registration, advertisement of vacancies, student applications, contract creation, certification, reporting, as well as stipend disbursal through DBT. It is used by students, industries, institutions as well as implementing bodies, i.e., BoATs/BoPT. It was being used in pilot mode with enhancements being embarked upon. The portal is now fully functional and is leveraged by the Ministry of Education for carrying out the end-to-end DBT process.

NEP 2020 aims to mainstream vocational education and eliminate barriers between different streams of education. It emphasizes integrating general and vocational education to ensure vertical and horizontal mobility for students. In alignment with NEP 2020, draft guidelines have been issued by UGC and AICTE for Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programmes (AEDP). /BI