SHREYAS: Union HRD Ministry launches Scheme to provide apprenticeship opportunities to graduates

SHREYAS: Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills

The scheme will be operated in conjunction with National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) which provides for placing of apprentices or trainees up to 10 percent of the total work force in every industry. 

The scheme will be implemented by the Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) initially in the Banking Finance Insurance Services (BFSI), Retail, Health care, Telecom, Logistics, Media, Management services, ITeS and Apparel.  More sectors would be added over time with emerging apprenticeship demand.

The programme would witness the simultaneous implementation of three tracks. These 3 tracks are:

1st Track: Add-on apprenticeship (Degree apprenticeship)

The students, who are about to complete the degree programme, would be invited to choose a job role of their choice from a selected list of apprenticeship or training job roles.

This apprenticeship programme would commence immediately after completion of the degree programme (May each year) with basic training regarding the sector and will long for 6 months.

During the apprenticeship period, the student would get a monthly stipend of about Rs 6,000 per month by the industry. At the end, successful students would get skills certificate in addition to their degree certificate.

2nd Track: Embedded Apprenticeship

The existing B.Voc (Bachelor of Vocation) programmes would be restructured into B.A (Professional), B.Sc (Professional) or B.Com (Professional) courses. These courses would include educational input, vocational input, and mandatory apprenticeship of 6 to 10 months.

Alternatively, one full semester of an existing B.Voc course would be dedicated to apprenticeship with industry. During the apprenticeship period, the student would get a monthly stipend of about Rs 6,000 per month by the industry, 25 percent of which would be reimbursed under the NAPS programme.  

At the end, successful students would get skills certificate in addition to their degree certificate.

3rd Track: Linking National Career Service with Colleges

Under this, the National Career Service (NCS) portal of Ministry of Labour & Employment would be linked with the Higher Education institutions. The students would be trained in soft skills required by the market. This would improve the employment opportunities.

• The scheme would be operationalised by coordination of Ministry of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Ministry of Labour.
• The Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) have identified more than 100 areas where they would be able to find apprenticeship opportunities where the apprenticeships would be provided.
• Higher Educational Institutions can log-in to the SHREYAS portal and express their interest in the skill areas along with the expected number of students.
• This demand would be scrutinised by the SSC concerned, who would confirm the positions available on portal.
• Based on this confirmation, the Higher Educational Institutions would upload the names of the students on the SHREYAS portal.
• The NAPS would thereupon generate the Contract between the industry and the student.
• After this, the monthly stipend would be paid by the industry and 25 percent of this would be reimbursed by NAPS portal subject to a maximum of Rs 1,500 per month.
• The SSC would monitor the progress and would conduct the examination at the end of the apprenticeship period and would give certificate to the successful candidates.
• These certificates will be valid throughout India for seeking employment.
• More than 40 higher educational institutions have already been tied up for taking up embedded apprenticeship courses.

• To improve employability of students by introducing employment relevance
• To forge a close functional link  between education and industry
• To provide skills to the students in a dynamic manner
• To establish an ‘earn while you learn’ system into higher education
• To help industry in securing good quality manpower
• To link student community with employment facilitating efforts of the Government

Under the NAPS scheme, the Central Government shares 25 percent of the stipend per month subject to a maximum of Rs.1500 per month during the period of the apprenticeship. Apart from that, an amount upto Rs 7500 will be met towards basic training cost, where needed.

The scheme aims to cover 50 lakh students by 2022.

Role of the Institutions: The institutions would explain the scheme along with various options to the students who are in the final year. The institutions would register the students on the SHREYAS portal, duly indicating their skill job roles along with likely number of students in each role.

Role of SSCs: SSCs would identify industries for apprenticeship and would conduct assessment leading to certification. They would arrange and confirm the establishments where the students would be provided as apprenticeships. 

Role of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE):  MSDE operates the NAPS programme through NSDC.  They would not only monitor the programme, progress of the apprentices, but would finance the programme by disbursing the claims from the business enterprises towards stipend reimbursement as per the NAPS.

Role of States: The State Governments are expected to play a major role in securing apprenticeship opportunities, apart from the Sector Skill Councils, so that general degree students passing out in April 2019 gain the option of industry & service sector apprenticeship.