Dr S.M. Ejaz Ahmad, director of the Board of Practical Training (Eastern Region) said, "A major focus of this year's initiative is to expand the participation of MSMEs in the apprenticeship ecosystem."
The Board of Practical Training (Eastern Region), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, promulgated their annual flagship event, Regional Apprenticeship Day (RAD), which is scheduled to take place on September 5 this year.
"Through practical and scalable solutions, including cluster-based apprenticeship models and simplified registration processes, we aim to reduce these barriers and create financially viable apprenticeship opportunities for MSMEs", Dr. Ahmad added.
Dr. SM Ejaz Ahmad speaking about the Regional Apprenticeship Day at the announcement event, along with Kailash Nath Mishra, the Administrative-cum-Accounts Officer on the right. Photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS
This year's edition will centre around the theme featuring 'Empowering MSMEs through NATS: Catalyzing Regional Growth via Structured Apprenticeships', as the announcement was made by Dr S.M. Ejaz Ahmad, Director of the Board of Practical Training (Eastern Region), alongside Kailash Nath Mishra, Administrative-cum-Accounts Officer.
Dr S.M. Ejaz Ahmad said, "The Indian government has created a platform for the less meritorious students and unemployed people through the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme, through which they develop their skills and by doing on-job training within the company."
The organising body also highlighted this year's Regional Apprenticeship Day role in expanding the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS), which will bridge the gap between industry and academia, and strengthen the youth employability across Eastern India, especially focusing on MSMEs, which often face challenges related to compliance, limited awareness and operational capacity.
"There is a one-year training period where students get a stipend and after the training they get a certificate from the Government of India. It is even seen that these students' employment probability increases by 74% in the same company, according to the survey report of Niti Aayog", director of the Board of Practical Training (Eastern Region), Dr S.M. Ejaz Ahmad added.
This initiative will even focus on restructuring university curricula through the Apprenticeship Embedded Degree/Diploma Programme, allowing students to earn academic credits through on-the-job training, while National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) modules will incorporate Artificial Intelligence, automation and digital workflows.
Through NATS, the Board of Practical Training (Eastern Region) connects students and educational institutions with corporate employers, helping young graduates and diploma holders gain industry-relevant skills and workplace experience.
(Reporting by Aaheli Chakraborty, Photos by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)