NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP PROMOTION AND TRAINING SCHEMES

• Two flagship Central Sector schemes under the Apprentices Act, 1961 that promote on-the-job training: NAPS (MSDE) for trade apprentices and NATS (MoE) for graduate/diploma/vocational apprentices.
• Central to India's skilling architecture, linking industry demand with employable youth via stipend support and DBT.
• UPSC relevance: tested under GS-II (government schemes) and GS-III (employment, skilling, human capital).