Apprenticeship (NAPS)
Last updated · Confirm dates, fees and eligibility on the official website before you apply.
1 yr stipend, often converts to job
- Route in
- Typically ITI trade certificate. 1 course lead here
- Entry pay
- ₹7,000 – ₹14,000 / monthly Any experience
- Experienced
- ₹45,000 / monthly 6–12 yrs
What the work involves
Day to day
Structured on-the-job training with an employer alongside a stipend, combining practical work with the theory component. You learn the trade in the workplace where it is actually practised.
Who this suits
Fit
Freshly qualified ITI and diploma holders who need real experience to become employable. Apprenticeships convert to permanent roles often enough to be a serious strategy, and you earn while training rather than paying for it.
The honest reality
Read this one
The stipend is small and not designed to support you independently. Conversion to a permanent job is common but never promised, and some employers use apprentices as cheap labour with little real training - the quality of the placement decides whether the year was worth it. Ask what proportion of previous apprentices were retained before accepting.
What this work actually is
Understand the role
An apprenticeship gives you supervised shop-floor experience, not the same freedom or pay as a fully employed technician. You learn a trade by doing assigned work, following safety rules, using tools correctly, and completing training records. As an apprentice or trainee technician, you are accountable for showing up on time, learning the process, and doing work to the required standard.
The work usually happens in a factory, workshop, plant, service centre, construction site, or maintenance unit. You work beside technicians, supervisors, machine operators and safety staff. Some days involve fitting parts, checking a machine, cleaning a work area, or carrying materials. Much of the learning comes from watching experienced workers, then repeating the task under supervision.
The main trade-off is that the stipend period is for learning, and a job conversion is not automatic. Your ITI trade, practical hand skills, discipline, safety record and willingness to do routine work affect what happens next. An apprenticeship works best when you treat every shift as proof that a supervisor can trust you with the next level of work.
Skills that actually matter
Capability
An apprenticeship tests whether you can do safe, reliable work every day, not only whether you passed an ITI exam.
You must follow site rules, use protective equipment, isolate equipment when told, and report a loose guard, damaged cable or oil spill before it harms someone.
How to build it. During ITI practicals, treat every job as a safety drill: check tools, wear the required protection, keep your bench clear, and ask the instructor to correct unsafe steps. Read the safety instructions at each workshop or plant visit.
You need steady, accurate hands for the trade, such as measuring a part, tightening fittings correctly, wiring a connection, filing an edge or using a machine tool without damaging the workpiece.
How to build it. Use your ITI workshop time to repeat basic jobs until your measurements and finish are consistent. Keep photos and notes of pieces you made, including what went wrong and how you fixed it.
Supervisors notice who arrives on time, follows the shift routine, completes assigned work and does not disappear when the work is repetitive or dirty.
How to build it. Start with a simple routine now: reach class or workshop 15 minutes early, prepare your tools the previous night, and keep a daily record of tasks completed. If you will be absent, inform the right person early.
You will work beside operators, technicians and supervisors. You need to listen to instructions, pass on faults clearly and ask before making a risky guess.
How to build it. In group practicals, take turns explaining the next step and reporting a problem in plain words. Practise saying what happened, where it happened and what you have already checked.
Much of the work involves checklists, drawings, work orders and standard steps. Skipping one step can spoil a component or create a safety problem.
How to build it. Ask your ITI instructor for a drawing, process sheet or maintenance checklist and complete a job from it without relying on memory. Mark each completed step and compare your work with the specification.
You need to read scales and gauges, spot when a machine or fitting is not working as expected, and report useful details instead of only saying it is broken.
How to build it. Practise with vernier callipers, micrometres, multimeters or trade tools available at your ITI. For every fault exercise, write the symptom, checks made, likely cause and final fix.
As an apprentice, you will make mistakes and receive direct feedback. You need to correct the method rather than argue, hide the error or repeat it next week.
How to build it. After each practical, ask for one correction from your instructor. Write it in a small notebook and use that note before the next similar task.
What separates the well paid from the average. The apprentices who move ahead are the ones supervisors trust with a job without repeated checking, because they work safely, report problems early and keep learning the actual process.
How people actually get in
Getting in
Most people enter a NAPS apprenticeship after an ITI trade certificate, then learn on the job as an apprentice or trainee technician.
Finish Class 10 and an ITI trade certificate in a relevant trade. Register, look for an apprenticeship place, and be ready for a wait of two to six months. During the apprenticeship, you will follow safety rules, work with the team, and build practical hand skills. Many placements run for one to two years and may lead to a job.
Usually takes ITI course, then 1 to 2 years of apprenticeship.
Some people apply after Class 12 instead of ITI. This route suits openings that accept Class 12, but an ITI trade certificate is usually the stronger starting point for hands-on technician work. You still need to complete the training properly and show discipline at the workplace.
Usually takes 2 to 6 months to find a place, then 1 to 2 years of apprenticeship.
After finishing the apprenticeship, use your National Apprenticeship Certificate where employers value it. You may move into permanent employment, a contract role, or take a further qualification. Conversion to a job often happens, but it is not automatic.
Usually takes 1 to 2 years after starting the apprenticeship.
What people get wrong
Read this one
An NAPS apprenticeship gives you workplace training and a stipend, but it is not the same as a permanent job offer.
- “An apprenticeship is only for students who could not get into college.” No. Many apprentices enter after Class 10 or 12 with an ITI trade certificate and build practical skills that employers need on the shop floor.
- “You will spend the whole year watching others work.” Usually, you learn by doing supervised tasks, following safety rules, using tools correctly and working to a team’s schedule. The routine parts matter as much as the hands-on jobs.
- “A stipend means you have a regular salary.” A stipend pays you while you train, but an apprenticeship is a training period. Check the terms before joining, including the duration and what happens after completion.
- “Finish the apprenticeship and the company must make you permanent.” Many apprenticeships lead to a job, but conversion depends on vacancies, your work record and the employer’s needs. Some people instead use their experience and NAC to apply elsewhere.
- “An ITI certificate leaves you stuck in one small role.” It gives you a starting trade skill. With good practical work, discipline and further qualifications if needed, you can move from apprentice work towards technician roles.
Where this leads
Outlook
An NAPS apprenticeship gives you supervised shop-floor experience and a stipend for one to two years; it sometimes leads to a job, but you should treat conversion as a selection process, not a promise.
| Who employs | What it is like |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing plants | Factories making machinery, consumer goods, metal parts or chemicals take apprentices in maintenance, fitting, machining and production support. Work follows shifts, safety rules and output targets. Stipend-led training comes first; permanent roles depend on vacancies and your record. |
| Automotive and component units | You may work around assembly lines, service bays, tools and inspection stations. The pace is set by production schedules. Employers look for disciplined attendance, safe tool use and the ability to repeat a task accurately. |
| Electrical equipment and maintenance contractors | These employers place trainees on installation, panel work or equipment maintenance jobs, often at client sites. Contract work is common and sites may change. They want practical hand skills, care around electrical safety and willingness to travel locally. |
| PSUs and government-linked industrial units | Industrial PSUs and government-linked units may offer structured apprentice training in workshops and plants. Entry is competitive and the process is formal. An apprenticeship there does not automatically give you a permanent government post. |
| Construction and infrastructure contractors | Work may involve plumbing, welding, electrical installation or equipment maintenance at a project site. Deadlines and site conditions shape the day. Safety discipline matters, and work may reduce when a project ends. |
Working reality
Read this one
Job availability is moderate because you must first find an apprenticeship opening, which often takes two to six months and depends on your ITI trade and local employers.
What it pays
Indicative
NAPS apprenticeship pay is usually a monthly stipend in the first year, then regular technician pay if an employer retains you.
What decides where you land in the range. Your ITI trade, employer type, shift work, city, production or maintenance experience, and salary negotiation decide where you fall in the range.
The route in, step by step
6 steps from where you are now.
Class 10, and an ITI certificate or Class 12 Required
Apprenticeships are open to ITI passouts, diploma holders, graduates and even Class 10 candidates in some trades.
Understand what this actually gives you Required
A contracted, paid training period under the Apprentices Act, with a stipend partly borne by government under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme. It ends in a National Apprenticeship Certificate - a recognised qualification, not just experience.
Register and find a place Required
Register on the national apprenticeship portal and apply to establishments directly. Large manufacturers, PSUs and railways take substantial intakes, and many recruit permanently from them.
Complete the apprenticeship properly Required
One to two years depending on trade. Treat it as an extended interview, because at good employers that is exactly what it is.
Use the NAC where it counts Required
PSU and railway technician recruitment weights the National Apprenticeship Certificate heavily, and some posts are reserved for ex-apprentices. Most ITI students are never told this.
Permanent employment, or a further qualification Optional
Absorption by the establishment, a PSU examination, or lateral entry into a diploma to lift the ceiling.
Courses that lead here
1 mapped route into this career.
The roles this becomes
2 lanes out of the same starting point.
What it pays
Indicative bands, 2 ways to read them.
| Stage | Pay band | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 yrs | ₹7,000 – ₹14,000 / monthly | ITI holders usually start at or above the prescribed stipend floor. |
| 1–3 yrs | ₹12,000 – ₹22,000 / monthly | After apprenticeship, trainee or junior technician roles pay more than the stipend. |
| 3–6 yrs | ₹18,000 – ₹32,000 / monthly | Hands-on fault finding, machine work and shift experience raise pay. |
| 6–12 yrs | ₹28,000 – ₹45,000 / monthly | Senior technician, maintenance and team-leading work sit near the upper end. |
| Stage | Pay band | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Any experience | ₹7,000 – ₹14,000 / monthly | Stipend depends on your qualification, trade and employer. |
These are ranges, not offers. Pay varies by city, employer size, sector and your own skill more than by job title. Treat the band as the shape of the market, not as a number you can hold anyone to.
Common questions
The ones people actually ask about this work.
What is a NAPS apprenticeship and why should I do one?
<p>A formal apprenticeship under the national scheme, where you train in a real workplace and receive a stipend, with the government sharing part of it. It is the most reliable bridge between an ITI certificate and an actual job — a large proportion of apprentices are retained by the employer, and even where they are not, documented industry experience changes how the next employer sees you.</p>
How do I find an apprenticeship?
<p>Through the national apprenticeship portal, through your ITI, and by approaching companies directly. Larger manufacturers run structured intakes and advertise them. Applying directly to the human resources department of local industrial units works more often than people expect, because many employers struggle to fill their apprentice quota.</p>
Is the stipend enough to live on?
<p>It is a training stipend rather than a wage, and it is modest. Treat it as paid learning rather than employment. The value is the experience, the certificate and the strong chance of being kept on — not the monthly amount.</p>
What should I do during the apprenticeship?
<p>Learn the things nobody is assigned to teach you. Volunteer for the maintenance and breakdown work others avoid, because that is where diagnostic skill is built. Ask to be shown other sections. Keep a record of what you have worked on. Apprentices who are visibly useful get kept; those who wait to be instructed do not.</p>
Test this against your own priorities
Pay, hours and entry route matter differently to different people. Compare this against the alternative you are actually weighing, rather than against the average.