Skilling India for a future-ready workforce by enhancing skills and employability of the working age population – Part – II

Continuing……….

1. National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS)

Launched in August 2016, the scheme is currently being implemented in its second phase NAPS 2.0. The programme promotes apprenticeship training by providing partial stipend support to apprentices, thereby strengthening the apprenticeship ecosystem and offering advocacy support to stakeholders. Apprenticeship remains a key pillar for earning while you learn and industry-centric skill development. The Government contributes 25% of stipend up to Rs. 1,500 per month directly to apprentices’ bank accounts via NAPS portal.

Progress under NAPS

1. Since 2016, more than 54.41 lakh+ apprentices have been engaged across sectors such as automotive, IT-ITeS, electronics, retail and manufacturing until March 31, 2026
2. In FY 2025–26, around 12.35 lakh apprentices were engaged. Additionally, about 6.42 lakh apprentices completed their On-the-Job Training in FY 2025–26.
3. CoP (Certificate of Proficiency), launched in September 2025, is an additional recognition for apprentices who complete the full duration and practical assessment. As of March 31, 2026, 67,711 CoPs were generated.
4. From 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026, more than ₹562.75 crore were disbursed through 40.10 lakh Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) transactions.
5. Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS)

The CTS was introduced in 1950 to ensure a steady flow of skilled workers in different trades for the domestic industry. It also aims to raise the industrial production quantitatively and qualitatively through systematic training and reduce unemployment among the educated youth by providing them employable training.

Progress under CTS

ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) are the backbone of long-term vocational education in India having been set up with the objective, to ensure a steady flow of skilled personnel to the industry.

1. Under CTS training is imparted in 169 courses through 14,688 ITIs with 3,345 Government Institutes & 11,343 Private Institutes across the country.
2. As of March 2026, a total of 14 CTS courses have been developed and 22 existing courses have been revised in a span of three years aligning them with the industry requirements.
3. The Enrolment in the ITIs has increased from 12.51 lakh in FY 2022-23 to 14.70 lakh in FY 2025-26.

ITIs Established from 2014 to 2025                 

2014 – 9,977

2025 – 14,688

This amounted to a 47.22 % increase over the period.

Enrolment in ITIs from 2014 to 2025

2014 – 9.5 lakh

2025 – 14.7 lakh

This amounted to a 54.74 % increase over the period.

NSTIs (National Skill Training Institutes) Established from 2014 to 2025

2014 – 25

2025 – 33

This amounted to a 32 % increase during the period.

ITOTs (Institutes of Training of Trainers) Established from 2014 to 2025

2014 – 11

2025 – 120

This amounted to a 990.91 % increase over the period.

PM–SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs)

To further strengthen the ecosystem, PM–SETU was launched in October 2025 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme at an estimated cost of Rs. 60,000 Crore.

Key features of PM–SETU include: 

1. Upgradation of 1,000 Government ITIs (200 hub ITIs and 800 spoke ITIs) in a hub-and-spoke model with state-of-the-art infrastructure and modern equipment;
2. Establishment of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) with Anchor Industry Partners (AIPs) to co-own and co-manage clusters;
3. Introduction and redesign of courses based on labour market demand, including high demand traditional trades upgraded with modern technology;
4. Capacity augmentation of five National Skill Training Institutes, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kanpur and Ludhiana as National Centres of Excellence forSkilling with global partnerships.

Many states, including Haryana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and others are co-creating the upgradation of 1,000 ITIs around their core strength.

Epilogue

India’s skilling ecosystem is undergoing a structural transformation with coordinated, technology enabled and industry-aligned frameworks. The Union Budget 2026-27 strengthens this shift by integrating sector-specific skill programmes with infrastructure development.

Initiatives spanning ITI upgradation, PMKVY 4.0, PM–SETU, NAPS and other reforms collectively aim to improve:

1. Scale;
2. Quality;
3. Transparency, and;
4. Industry linkage across theskilling value chain.

As India progresses toward Viksit Bharat in 2047, the Government is emphasising on:

• Demand-driven training;
• Measurable outcomes, and;
• Inclusive access.

By aligning skills in sectors such as healthcare, care economy, AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics), tourism etc. the policy framework positions human capital as a core growth driver.

Overall, India’s resilient and future-ready skilling ecosystem enhances productivity and accelerates formalisation. It also helps translate the country’s demographic advantage into broad-based, sustainable growth.

India’s annual skilling capacity was estimated at approximately 7 million during the period 2013-2014. Apart from meeting its own demand, India has the potential to provide a skilled workforce to fill the expected shortfall in the ageing developed world, it is opined.

The enormity of India’s skilling challenge is aggravated by the fact that skill training efforts cut across multiple sectors and require the involvement of diverse stakeholders such as:

1. Multiple government departments at the centre and state levels;
2. Private training providers;
3. Educational and training institutions;
4. Employers;
5. Industry associations;
6. Assessment and certification bodies, and;
7. Trainees.

All these stakeholders need to align their work together in order to achieve the target of Skill India, it has been opined.

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