To bolster employment opportunities for diploma and degree holders, the Uttar Pradesh government has intensified efforts to connect youth with skill development initiatives.
The Chief Minister’s Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (CMAPS), which was launched to provide hands-on training to graduates and diploma holders, has seen over 35,000 candidates register so far in the current financial year 2024-25.
Of these, more than 2,750 have already been engaged in apprenticeships.
Its main objective is to motivate the youth for apprentice training while preparing a highly-skilled workforce for industries and establishments.
CMAPS encompasses training programs lasting between 6 months to a year. The scheme guarantees a minimum monthly stipend of Rs 9,000 for graduates and Rs 8,000 for diploma holders throughout the training period.
The financial support is provided to the trainees jointly by the central and state governments as well as the entrepreneurs.
For graduates, the central government provides Rs 4,500, while the entrepreneurs contribute Rs 3,500, and the state government adds Rs 1,000.
The money is directly transferred to the trainee’s bank account through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.
Similarly, for diploma holders, the central government offers Rs 4,000, ensuring significant support for the trainees.
CMAPS is tracked through a dedicated dashboard on the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) portal, ensuring transparency and efficiency.
The scheme is being rolled out across various sectors through 21 departments of the UP government, with a specific focus on Medical, Health, MSME, Retail and Education sectors in 2024-25.
By providing a list of industries and establishments, five departments of the state government are actively involved in the on-ground execution of the scheme.
In 2024-25, there are now 858 registered industries, up from 826 in the previous year. The number of available training seats has also increased to 40,297, indicating the growing participation of industries in the program.
Additionally, the state has been proactive in encouraging more establishments to join the initiative, as evidenced by the 62 newly registered establishments and 380 newly added training seats.
To further enhance the scheme’s reach and impact, the Yogi Adityanath government has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Indian Industry Association (IIA).
The collaboration aims to bring more industries on board and create more training opportunities for youth. Moreover, state-level nodal officers have been nominated in five departments, ensuring streamlined coordination and implementation of CMAPS.
In addition to industry outreach, the Yogi government has focused on building awareness within academic institutions. A series of awareness programs have been organised for principals of universities and higher education institutions across the state.
Such meetings, held in Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, and Gorakhpur varsities, are designed to ensure that educational leaders are well-informed about CMAPS and can guide their students towards these valuable opportunities.