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National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS)

National Apprenticeship Training Scheme — for engineering / diploma / sandwich-course apprentices, with stipend management and government reimbursement filed for you.

20 yrs
NATS experience
450+
Apprentices managed
28 states
BOAT regions covered
1 SPOC
Per cohort

Quick answer

NATS full form: National Apprenticeship Training Scheme — a Government of India scheme run by the Ministry of Education (through the Boards of Apprenticeship Training) for engineering graduates, diploma holders and degree apprentices.

The government reimburses 50% of the prescribed minimum stipend to employers. TMS manages NATS registration, apprentice onboarding, quarterly stipend-reimbursement claims and records.

NATS apprenticeships, end-to-end.

NATS lets you bring on engineering graduates, diploma holders and sandwich-course students as apprentices for up to 1 year. The government reimburses 50% of the prescribed minimum stipend — for a degree apprentice (B.E./B.Tech), the minimum stipend is ₹9,000/month, of which the government pays ₹4,500 and you pay ₹4,500. For diploma holders, the minimum is ₹8,000/month with a government contribution of ₹4,000/month. As with all apprentices under the Apprentices Act, there is no PF, ESI, gratuity or bonus obligation on stipends — the statutory savings typically exceed the reimbursement itself. TMS registers your establishment with BOAT, onboards apprentices on the NATS portal, runs their monthly stipend payroll and files the reimbursement claim quarter on quarter.

National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS): eligibility, stipend and employer benefits

The National Apprenticeship Training Scheme is run by the Ministry of Education through the Regional Boards of Apprenticeship and Practical Training. It lets an employer engage technically qualified young people as apprentices for up to a year, train them on real work, and recover half the stipend from the government. For most companies it is the cleanest way to build an engineering and diploma talent pipeline at a controlled cost.

Who you can engage under NATS

NATS is built for engineering graduates (B.E./B.Tech), diploma holders and sandwich-course students from degree and diploma institutions. The apprentice should be an Indian citizen, usually with no prior full-time work experience in the trade. The training runs for six months to one year, after which the apprentice receives a Certificate of Proficiency recognised across the country.

Stipend and government reimbursement

The prescribed monthly stipend was revised in 2025 to a band of Rs 6,800 to Rs 12,300, depending on qualification, and an employer is free to pay more. Under NATS the Government of India reimburses 50% of the prescribed stipend to the employer, which is the most generous stipend share of any Indian apprenticeship scheme. The claim is filed periodically and credited to the establishment.

Why employers use NATS

Apprentices engaged under the Apprentices Act, 1961 are not treated as employees, so there is no employer Provident Fund (12%) or ESIC (3.25%) liability on their stipend. You train the apprentice to your own standards, assess performance over the full term, and decide at the end whether to offer a permanent role. There is no obligation to absorb anyone, which makes NATS a low-risk way to test future hires.

How registration works

The establishment registers on nats.education.gov.in, posts its apprenticeship requirements, selects and enrols apprentices, pays the monthly stipend, records training and attendance, and files the reimbursement claim. At completion the apprentice is issued the Certificate of Proficiency. The portal paperwork is where most employers lose time, and it is the part TMS runs end to end.

Run byMinistry of Education (Regional Boards of Apprenticeship / Practical Training)
Registration portalnats.education.gov.in
Who it is forEngineering graduates, diploma holders, sandwich-course students
Duration6 months to 1 year
Monthly stipendRs 6,800 to Rs 12,300 by qualification (revised 2025)
Government share50% of the stipend, reimbursed to the employer
Employer PF / ESICExempt under the Apprentices Act, 1961

Comparing schemes? See NATS vs NAPS, the employer NATS registration process, or the NAPS scheme.

Quick answers

Is NATS only for engineering graduates?

No. While engineering graduates are the largest group, NATS also covers diploma holders and sandwich-course students from both degree and diploma institutions. It is a technical scheme, so the roles are engineering and technical in nature, but it is broader than B.E./B.Tech alone.

How long does NATS registration take for an employer?

Establishment registration on the NATS portal is usually completed within a few working days once the company details and authorised signatory are ready. Enrolling apprentices and starting the stipend follows after that. With the documentation in order, most employers are live on the scheme inside two to three weeks.

Can a small company use NATS?

Yes. Smaller establishments can engage apprentices voluntarily and still claim the 50% stipend reimbursement. If your hiring is mostly non-technical or ITI-based, NAPS may fit better, but for engineering and diploma roles NATS works for companies of any size.

What TMS handles in NATS

Establishment registration

Your company registered with the appropriate Board of Apprenticeship Training (BOAT) — Mumbai, Chennai, Kanpur or Kolkata depending on region.

Apprentice onboarding

Apprentice profiles uploaded to the NATS portal, contracts signed, and credentialing verified for engineering / diploma / sandwich-course candidates.

Monthly stipend payroll

Apprentice stipends processed on the same cycle as your regular payroll, with PT and TDS handled correctly where applicable.

Government reimbursement

50% of prescribed stipend filed quarterly with BOAT for reimbursement — typical realisation 60–90 days.

Records of training

Mandatory monthly Record of Training maintained per apprentice for the Apprenticeship Adviser's inspection.

Certificate of Proficiency

End-of-training Certificate of Proficiency filed with BOAT for every apprentice — a real credential they can use anywhere.

How a NATS engagement runs

STEP 01

Brief

30-minute call to map roles, hiring volume and the BOAT region your facilities sit in.

STEP 02

Proposal

Scope: registration / onboarding / payroll / reimbursement filing. Per-apprentice fee. Within 48 hours.

STEP 03

Engagement

Monthly cycle runs — stipend pay, RoT maintenance, quarterly claim file. SPOC + senior reviewer.

STEP 04

Completion

Certificate of Proficiency filed for each apprentice; convert to full-time roles where applicable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NATS, and who can hire under it?

The National Apprenticeship Training Scheme is run by the Ministry of Education. Any establishment can engage engineering graduates (B.E./B.Tech), diploma holders and sandwich-course students as apprentices for up to 1 year, with government sharing the stipend cost.

How much does the government reimburse under NATS?

50% of the prescribed minimum stipend, reimbursed quarterly through BOAT. In practice: degree apprentice (B.E./B.Tech) = ₹4,500/month from government (prescribed minimum ₹9,000); diploma apprentice = ₹4,000/month from government (prescribed minimum ₹8,000). TMS files the claim for you.

Do I have to pay PF, ESI or gratuity on NATS apprentice stipends?

No. NATS apprentices are governed by the Apprentices Act 1961 and are not classified as employees under the EPF Act, ESI Act or Payment of Gratuity Act. There is no PF, ESI, gratuity or bonus obligation on their stipends. For most employers this is the larger saving — a degree graduate costs you ₹4,500/month in stipend vs ₹20,000–30,000+ CTC as a regular hire.

Can NATS apprentices be converted to permanent employees?

Yes, and it’s common. After the Certificate of Proficiency is issued, you can hire them onto your payroll (or onto TMS Contract Staffing) as confirmed employees.

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For Employers
Run NAPS / NATS apprenticeships at your company
TMS handles registration, stipend reimbursement claims & full compliance — since 2006.
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For Candidates
Looking for an apprenticeship or job?
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NATS Explained: Full Form, Eligibility, Stipend Mechanics and NATS 2.0

NATS full form: National Apprenticeship Training Scheme. In plain language, it is a Government of India programme — run by the Ministry of Education — that places fresh engineering graduates and diploma holders into structured, paid on-the-job training with real employers, typically for one year. The graduate gains supervised industry experience and a nationally recognised certificate; the employer gains trained, assessed talent with the government sharing the stipend cost.

NATS serves two audiences at once, and it helps to be clear which one you are:

  • If you are a graduate or diploma holder, NATS is your bridge from campus to industry — a formal apprenticeship with a monthly stipend, a defined training plan and a Certificate of Proficiency recognised across India at the end.
  • If you are an employer, NATS is a structured, subsidised talent pipeline: you train candidates to your own standards for a year, with none of the statutory overheads of regular employment, and convert the best performers if you choose.

Who is eligible for NATS

Candidates: Indian citizens holding a degree (such as B.E./B.Tech or eligible non-engineering degrees under the scheme's current scope), a diploma from a recognised institution, or enrolment in a sandwich course. Candidates should be fresh entrants — those who have already undergone apprenticeship training or held formal employment in their field are generally not eligible.

Employers: essentially any establishment with the capacity to provide genuine training — private companies, PSUs, MSMEs, and government departments. There is no minimum company size to participate voluntarily; the establishment registers with its regional Board of Apprenticeship Training (BOAT/BOPT) through the NATS portal.

How the stipend and the 50% government reimbursement work

The mechanics matter more than the numbers, and they changed recently:

  • Every NATS apprentice receives a monthly stipend at or above the prescribed minimum for their qualification level. Prescribed rates were revised upward in 2025 and future revisions are linked to the Consumer Price Index, so always confirm the current notification before budgeting — TMS applies rates verified by the TMS compliance team.
  • The Government of India bears 50% of the prescribed minimum stipend; the employer bears the balance (plus the full amount of anything paid above the prescribed minimum).
  • The disbursement route changed in October 2025. The government share is no longer routed as a reimbursement to the employer — it is paid directly into the apprentice's Aadhaar-linked bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). The employer pays its own share to the apprentice and keeps portal records (attendance, stipend payment confirmation) current so the DBT instalments are released.

The employer's real obligations are therefore operational: accurate onboarding data, timely stipend payment of its share, disciplined record-keeping on the portal, and clean contract closure. Establishments that treat this casually see DBT payments stall and apprentice grievances follow. Our NATS stipend and reimbursement guide for employers covers the claim workflow in detail.

NATS 2.0: what changed

NATS 2.0 is the upgraded scheme platform launched in July 2024 on the portal nats.education.gov.in. The substance of the scheme is unchanged — graduates and diploma holders, roughly one-year training, shared stipend — but the administration was rebuilt:

  • Single digital lifecycle: candidate registration, employer registration, vacancy advertisement, application, contract generation, training records, assessment and certification all happen on one portal, replacing the older fragmented process.
  • DBT-based stipend disbursal: the government share flows directly to apprentices, made fully mandatory from October 2025.
  • Wider degree coverage: the scheme's scope has progressively expanded beyond core engineering to eligible general-stream graduates.
  • Revised, index-linked stipends: the 2025 revision raised prescribed minimums and tied future changes to inflation.

Employer vs student: the two registration paths

AspectEmployer (establishment)Student (candidate)
Where to registernats.education.gov.in — "Establishment" registration, mapped to your regional BOAT/BOPTnats.education.gov.in — "Student/Candidate" enrolment
Key inputsPAN, establishment details, training facility and capacity, authorised signatoryAadhaar, degree/diploma details, bank account (Aadhaar-linked, for DBT), resume
After registrationPost vacancies, shortlist candidates, generate contractsSearch and apply to advertised apprenticeships, accept offer
ContractGenerated and registered on the portal before training beginsSigned digitally; apprenticeship is a training contract, not employment
During trainingPay employer stipend share, maintain attendance and training recordsComplete the training plan; receive employer share plus government DBT share
At completionClose contract, support final assessmentReceive Certificate of Proficiency

Employers who want the full walkthrough should read our NATS registration process for employers.

Frequently asked questions

What is NATS?

NATS (National Apprenticeship Training Scheme) is a Ministry of Education programme that provides graduates and diploma holders roughly one year of paid, structured apprenticeship training with registered employers, with the government bearing half of the prescribed minimum stipend and awarding a Certificate of Proficiency on completion.

What is the NATS full form and how is it different from NAPS?

NATS stands for National Apprenticeship Training Scheme; NAPS is the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme. NATS covers graduates and diploma holders under the Ministry of Education; NAPS covers ITI passouts, freshers and trade apprentices under the Ministry of Skill Development. An employer can run both simultaneously.

How do I do NATS registration as a student?

Enrol on nats.education.gov.in with your Aadhaar, qualification details and an Aadhaar-linked bank account, then apply to advertised apprenticeship vacancies. Enrolment is free — treat any site or agent charging a "NATS registration fee" as fraudulent.

Is a NATS apprenticeship a job?

No — it is a registered training contract, not employment. That is why PF, ESI and gratuity do not apply. Many employers do, however, absorb strong apprentices into regular roles at the end of the year, and there is no waiting-period restriction on doing so.

How long does a NATS apprenticeship last?

Typically one year, as prescribed for graduate and diploma apprentices. The exact duration is fixed in the registered contract, and the Certificate of Proficiency is issued only after the full term and final assessment are complete.

Planning a NATS cohort — or looking beyond apprentices? TMS handles establishment registration, sourcing, stipend payroll and portal compliance end to end, and can blend NATS hiring with contract staffing for the rest of your workforce. Contact us or call +91-22-4896-7640.

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