A man who started his career in 1974 as an apprentice in one of the esteemed organisations of the country the ‘Tata Iron and Steel Company’ (TISCO), has today moved up the ladder to head and run a whole unit of this giant establishment. Bookish as it may sound, but the prerogatives of his success were set the day he entered into the field of work.
This is no story, there are many at the level of Group Heads and GMs (General Manager) who had started their career graphs as apprentices. However, can the same prospects taken up by the previous generation help the current one in tapping their potential, and can apprenticeship work as a tool in the growth of India’s economy?
There are many questions lingering in our minds the answers to which can be found only when we take a closer look into this field of the vocational work expertise.
What is Apprenticeship?
As per the National Apprenticeship Act 1961, a person who joins a company to get trained and simultaneously contribute to its revenue generation is an apprentice. There are many who confuse between apprenticeship and internship, but there is a difference between the two.
In apprenticeship there is a stipend paid to the trainee, no such provision is available in internship. Also, while the former is a task taken up to hone a particular skill that would help an individual gain a certificate and use the experience to get better job opportunities, the latter is majorly project based, and is taken up as part of an academic curriculum.
History of Apprenticeship in India:
Developed countries like Germany and Japan have realised the need to carve the base of the youth and so there has been a rampant growth in the number of apprentices in these countries reaching to a few millions, whereas the graphs in India still show only a few lakhs opting for this path to pave a career.
The National Apprenticeship Scheme was launched in 1959 and moving further the Apprentice Act was established in 1961, which came into force in 1962. Post which, there were number of amendments like the training of graduate and technician apprentices in 1973, and the training of students passing out 10+2 as technician apprentices in 1986.
However, even after the established act providing a definite employment venture to the Indian youth, the recent reports suggest that around 53% of skilled workforce suffer due to lack of required experience, while only 8% are considered unemployed.
That means there is job, but the employed are still facing a kind of deprivation, marring their individual as well economic growth.
Apprenticeship – A Dependable Source for Economic Development
A country is developed when its youth starts getting into confidant lucrative ventures. Be it a start-up firm or coming up with innovative projects for an already established organisation, it is only going to add up to the development of the country’s economic growth, and that will be possible when the gen next has required amount of skills.
In India, while there are many who are acing in their academic records, however, when it comes to practical application, they are not able to uphold themselves. The lack is due to a practical hands-on experience. This in turn is also affecting the statistical analysis of the country’s economic growth, because while on papers the rate of employment has increased, but how many of these employed individuals have the potential to make the economy of the country grow is a question unanswered.
That being said, the question is can apprenticeship be used a tool to track the potential Indian youth?
Yes! It can.
As per one of India’s leading news lines, the Government of India has a target of skilling 500 million youth by 2022. The quickest way to reach there would be helping the young ones in their transition phase, i.e., hand holding them for a particular term while they move from a secured academic surrounding to a more professional set up.
This is the scheme of apprenticeship and it on the other hand will also help the individuals in identifying their areas of interest quite early. That ways they can start working towards enriching their knowledge in one particular area.
The Indian Railways is one such example, who was one of the pioneers in introducing a systematic apprenticeship system, the ones joining the sector then has had an early growth, and the option of becoming a vendor of the Government is also open for them, since the apprentice program includes both imparting technical as well as manufacturing skills.
How to Apply
After the amendment of the act in 2014, applying for apprenticeship has become really easy. All that you need to do is visit the Ministry of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship’s website and fill in the registration form.
Apart from that the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme, Naukri.com (Apprentice trainee jobs) are other good avenues to look for while going on a trainee hunt.
A young India is a vibrant source of energy, who when shown the right direction can not only make their dreams come true, but also prove to become the pioneers of a developed economy.
A man who started his career in 1974 as an apprentice in one of the esteemed organisations of the country the ‘Tata Iron and Steel Company’ (TISCO), has today moved up the ladder to head and run a whole unit of this giant establishment.
After the amendment of the act in 2014, applying for apprenticeship has become really easy. All that you need to do is visit the Ministry of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship’s website and fill in the registration form.