Union HRD Minister launches the Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS)

The Minister for Human Resources Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar has launched the Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS) in New Delhi on 27^th February 2019.The scheme is aimed at providing industry apprenticeship opportunities to the general graduates exiting in April 2019 through the National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme (NAPS).The program aims at enhancing the employability of Indian youth by providing ‘on the job work exposure’ along with stipend.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that the education with skills is the need of the hour and SHREYAS will be a major effort in this direction to make degree students more skilled, capable and employable. This way they can contribute to country’s progress and also obtain gainful employment. He informed that SHREYAS is a programme conceived for degree students, primarily non-technical, with a view to introduce employable skills into their learning, promote apprenticeship and also amalgamate employment.

SHREYAS is a programme basket comprising the initiatives of three Central Ministries, namely the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and the Ministry of Labour& Employment viz the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), the National Career Service (NCS).BA/BSc/B.Com (Professional) courses will also be introduced in the higher educational institutions as part of the programme.

SHREYAS Portal for Degree Apprenticeships

The portal will enable educational institutions and industry to log in and provide their respective demand and supply of apprenticeship. The matching of students with apprenticeship avenues will take place as per pre-specified eligibility criteria. The SSCs have identified more than 100 NSQF aligned Job roles/courses in the sectors of IT, Retail, Logistics, Tourism, Healthcare, BFSI, Electronics, Media, Life Sciences and Management, which the exiting graduates can take up under Apprenticeship program. These courses will be available to them from Academic year April-May, 2019. More than 40 higher educational institutions have already been tied up for taking up embedded apprenticeship courses.

The primary scheme will be operated in conjunction with National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS). Under the NAPS scheme, Central Government shares 25% of the stipend per month subject to a maximum of Rs.1500 p.m 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 is proposed to cover 50 lakh students by 2022.

During the occasion, Ministry of Human Resources Development and Ministry for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship launched 7 degree Apprenticeship curricula, which are BBA & BVOC courses, remodelled with apprenticeship embedded in them.

The event also witnessed leading industrial organisations entering into apprenticeship contracts with some graduate students in key sectors namely IT &ITes, Media and BFSI.