New Delhi, Jul 30 (IANS): Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan launched the National Apprenticeship and Training Scheme 2.0 Portal and also disbursed Rs 100 crore stipends to apprentices through the DBT mode on Tuesday.

He said that these apprentices are undergoing training in various sectors such as IT, manufacturing, automobile, etc.

He said that the NATS 2.0 portal is expected to be utilised by a large number of beneficiaries to register and apply for apprenticeships.

“A significant number of young graduates and diploma holders will be supported in attaining employability skills, accompanied by a guaranteed monthly stipend,” the Union Minister said.

He said that NATS Portal 2.0 is a significant effort to democratise apprenticeship, bridge the skill gap, fulfil youth aspirations and make them future-ready.

He said that the portal launched will widen the reach of apprenticeship opportunities and help in the matchmaking of candidates and employers.

The minister also appealed to all educational institutions and industries to join the NATS 2.0 portal. “To ensure that the stipendiary benefits of NATS are delivered to intended apprentices in a time-bound, efficient, and transparent manner, the government has initiated the payment of its share of stipend directly to the apprentices’ bank accounts through Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) mechanism in 2024,” he said.

He said that it is aimed to extend the use of the DBT system to provide government’s share of stipend to all beneficiaries of the scheme.

He said that the NEP 2020 aims to mainstream vocational education and eliminate barriers between different streams of education.

“It emphasises integrating general and vocational education to ensure vertical and horizontal mobility for students. In alignment with NEP 2020, draft guidelines have been issued by UGC and AICTE for Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programmes (AEDP),” the Union Minister said.