The Board of Apprenticeship Training (BOAT), Southern Region, is working towards doubling the number of apprentices being trained in the country. Currently, about 28,000 candidates are trained every year in various organisations in the region.

To achieve the target, BOAT has launched a number of initiatives such as starting an online portal, administrative simplification, launch of offices across the country and conducting seminar series in Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.

The seminars will educate candidates about the various schemes operated by BOAT for creating a more robust apprentice ecosystem. This in turn will help in improving employability and employment outcomes for students.

Govt review

Mr Manish Sabharwal, chairman, TeamLease Services, and chairman, BOAT, Southern Region, said the HRD Ministry has recognised that for higher unemployment rate among graduates, their employability has to be improved. The government is also undertaking a wide ranging review of the apprenticeship programme to meet the three objectives of quantity, quality and inclusion.

BOAT works with employers to take engineering graduates and diploma holders for one year apprenticeship and pays a subsidy of 50 per cent of the official stipend rate to make it attractive for employers.

>anjali@thehindu.co.in