Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the National Apprenticeship and Training Scheme (NATS) 2.0 Portal on Tuesday, disbursing ₹100 crore in stipends to apprentices via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

The apprentices, training in sectors such as IT, manufacturing, and automobiles, will benefit from this initiative aimed at boosting youth skills and employability.

The NATS 2.0 portal facilitates the registration and application process for apprenticeships, allowing industries to manage vacancies and contracts. This provides young graduates and diploma holders with essential employability skills and a guaranteed monthly stipend.

At the launch event, Pradhan highlighted that the NATS 2.0 Portal marks a significant step towards democratizing apprenticeships, bridging the skills gap, and preparing youth for the future. He said that the portal will expand apprenticeship opportunities and help match candidates with employers.

Pradhan urged educational institutions and industries to join the NATS 2.0 portal, aiming to make apprenticeships a widespread movement. The government has launched the DBT system to ensure the timely and transparent delivery of stipends directly to apprentices’ bank accounts.

Developed by the Ministry of Education with AICTE and the Board of Apprenticeship Training/Practical Training (BoATs/BoPT), the NATS 2.0 portal manages the entire apprenticeship lifecycle, including student registration, vacancy advertisements, applications, contract creation, certification, reporting, and stipend disbursal through DBT. After a successful pilot phase, the portal is now fully functional, supporting the end-to-end DBT process.

In alignment with the NEP 2020, which aims to integrate vocational and general education, draft guidelines for Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programmes (AEDP) have been issued by UGC and AICTE.