To enhance the employability of students across the country, the Government of India has introduced Apprenticeship-Embedded Degree Programs (AEDP), said Minister of State for Skill Development Jayant Choudhary in a written reply to Nellore Member of Parliament (MP) Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy in the Lok Sabha on Monday, July 28.
MP Vemireddy raised multiple questions about the implementation and scope of skill development programmes, particularly focusing on the integration of apprenticeship training within higher education. He inquired whether the government was planning to deploy apprenticeship-embedded graduates at foreign client sites and if measures were being taken to improve coordination among the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Skill Development, apprentices, and employers, according to a report by The New Indian Express.
Responding to the query, Minister Jayant Choudhary confirmed that the Apprenticeship-Embedded Degree/Diploma Program was announced in the Union Budget of 2020-21.
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) had already notified its affiliated institutions about the programme.
He said the Ministry of Education constituted a committee on June 6, 2023, to frame clear guidelines for AEDP, which have since been finalised. These guidelines aim to encourage degree/diploma-level apprenticeships, ensure high-quality training, promote academia-industry collaboration, and streamline regulatory processes.
The ministry approved these guidelines on November 4, 2024.
Recognising the crucial role of apprenticeships in aligning higher education with industry needs, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has also issued guidelines under the UGC Act to allow higher educational institutions to offer AEDP programmes.
These efforts prioritise skill-based education, focusing on outcome-based learning across degree programs, building necessary skill levels for employability, strengthening collaboration between academic institutions and industries, effective implementation through partnerships with BOAT/BOPT and apprenticeship expansion and CAC recommendations.
Minister Choudhary further elaborated on the role of the Central Apprenticeship Council (CAC), established under the Apprentices Act of 1961, in developing national apprenticeship policies. CAC has helped align training programs with industry demands and expand opportunities across sectors.
At its 38th meeting held on May 26, 2025, CAC recommended allowing apprentices to be placed at client locations domestically and abroad during their training period. The government is actively considering this recommendation.
The Department of Higher Education (DHE), in coordination with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), has decided to extend apprenticeship programs to recent graduates in engineering, diploma holders, sandwich course students, as well as those in BA, BCom, and BSc streams, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
While MSDE will oversee apprenticeship programmes for all non-DHE categories, it also issued clarity on optional trades on June 16, 2023. The Ministry acknowledged differences between the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) platforms and has initiated efforts to create a unified access point to improve user experience and address technical challenges.
