What is NAPS?
NAPS is an abbreviated form of the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme. This was a scheme conceptualized by the Indian Government to provide apprenticeship programs for individuals who aspired to make a mark in the industry, in any sector they desired to be in.
When was the NAPS program put to effect?
The National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme, better known as NAPS is a brainchild of the Government of India. Its idea was conceived by the authoritative supremacy of the country to encourage and nurture apprenticeship and was executed as per official protocol, since the 19th of August, 2016.
How will the industries benefit from NAPS?
The NAPS scheme was put to effect keeping the mutual facilitation of the industries and other organizations as well as the trainees or apprentices, in mind. The industries can employ the apprentices who have been trained in the respective trade under the auspices of NAPS.
In this way, the organizations can imbibe raw potential in their daily operations and have the ease of paying stipends, which would amount less than what is payable to the regular workforce. Thus this would cause a spike in productivity as well as improvement of the financial bottom line of the industry.
What are the objectives that the Government of India had in mind while implementing NAPS?
- The Government of India has exposed a staggering data and the subsequent analysis that the present number of apprentices employed in different sections of the industry amounts merely to 2.3 lakhs.
India being a nation, currently on the verge of rising on various platforms, is enjoying a demographic dividend till 2040. Within this duration, the number of employable and skilled youths is expected to rise to lofty heights and their salaries would cause a huge boost in the national economy, thus leading the nation forward.
But the number of skilled apprentices currently employed in different professions make the computations extremely difficult. Therefore, the primary target of the NAPS program is to increase the number of proficient apprentices to at least 50 lakhs by 2020.
The target is prodigious to achieve indeed and the time period to implement as well as execute the program to its final results; is too slim. To combat these antagonistic situations, NAPS training programs are proliferating extremely fast and producing the required number of apprentices.
- Initially, the Government of India had a one-point objective in mind when they looked to launch the NAPS scheme. This primary target was to amplify the number of apprentices. This could only be done by encouraging the expansion of apprenticeship training programs all across the country. More the number of apprenticeship programs more will be the number of desired and hopeful candidates who would enroll themselves in this kind of mentorship scheme. The pass-outs would thus be eligible in playing their role as apprentices in various sectors of the industry.
- If the dextrous workforce is present, who has the upper hand of furnishing operation related support in any industry, without actually being an employee of the organization; then it is fruitful for the organization itself. The organization would thus increase the involvement of skilled apprentices providing much lower remunerations than general employees. This would unarguably increase the financial growth of the company, simultaneously boosting its productivity.
Because of the presence of this demand-supply relationship, the number of companies or organizations that would invest in such apprentices because of their provision of cheap yet skilled labor would also undergo an increment in a similar fashion. The increment in the number of successful apprentices would positively induce the proliferation of the number of startups and potentially big organizations.
Who are instrumental behind the implementation of NAPS?
- The Regional Directorates of Apprenticeship Training (RDATs) are the primary agencies responsible for the implementation in the case of Central Public Sector Undertakings and for those private-sector establishments which are operational in 4 or more states across the country.
- State Apprenticeship Advisers are those bodies that overlook the implementation of apprenticeship training for the State Public Sector Undertakings and the Private Sector Establishments operational in the respective states.
What are the basic components of the NAPS scheme?
NAPS covers 2 main components under its fold. They can be listed below.
- The first component declares the reimbursement of 25% of stipulated stipend which would be subjected to a maximum of ₹ 1500/- per month per apprentice by the Government of India to all the employers or industrial bodies who would involve in employing apprentices in their designated roles.
- Reimbursement of the entire valuation of basic training (which extends up to a limit of ₹ 7500/- for a maximum of 500 hours over a duration of 3 months) would be provided by the Government of India to the bodies which provide Basic Training and are known as Basic Training Providers or BTPs. These are instrumental in providing apprenticeship training to desired candidates who approach these bodies without any experience of formal training.
What is meant by Apprenticeship Training?
Apprenticeship Training refers to the training or tutelage offered to hopeful and desiring individuals in any organization or establishment, with a view to equipping them with the proper know-how and required skill set in order to mold them into successful professionals in the industry. Apprenticeship Training consists of Basic Training and OJT or On the Job Training or commonly known as Practical Training which takes place at the site of work.
What do the Apprenticeship Training Programs consist of?
The Apprenticeship Training Programs consist of two types of training which are listed below.
- Basic training: It means that part of apprenticeship training that specifically imparts basic theoretical knowledge and skill. This type of training can be imparted in BTCs or Basic Training Centres which have been constructed by the organizations or employers in concern. The primary requisite for providing this type of training is that they should possess the related infrastructure and amenities.
These kinds of training are also provided at institutions established by the Government itself as well as different ITIs which focus on the proliferation of skills.
- On the job training: On the job training refers to the kind of practical training that an individual receives at the workplace while working as an apprentice. This would provide them with hands-on knowledge of how the organizations operate. The employer of the organization should compulsorily possess the requisite infrastructure and tools and proper industrial conditions to provide the necessary training.
What are the basic criteria that a candidate should possess in order to enroll for NAPS?
The eligibility criteria of candidates to successfully undergo apprenticeship training under the auspices of the NAPS scheme is quite lenient. The candidate should be above 14 years of age, must be physically capable of undergoing the rigors of the training and should possess a minimum knowledge of the particular trade he or she applies for.
What is the future of NAPS?
If the NAPS scheme is successful in reaching its target, then the number of skilled apprentices would rise in a towering fashion. This will, in turn, cause a boom in the productivity of industry bodies and thus the nation will achieve significant development.
