The Apprentices Act, 1961 (Act No. 52 of 1961) provides for the regulation and control of apprenticeship training in India. It establishes the framework for contracts of apprenticeship, the obligations of employers and apprentices, and the authorities — including the National Council, Central and State Apprenticeship Councils, and Apprenticeship Advisers — that administer the apprenticeship system.
CHAPTER I — PRELIMINARY
CHAPTER II — APPRENTICES AND THEIR TRAINING
- Section 3 — Qualifications for being engaged as an apprentice
- Section 3A — Reservation of training places for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in designated trades
- Section 3B — Reservation of training places for Other Backward Classes in designated trades
- Section 4 — Contract of apprenticeship
- Section 5 — Novation of contract of apprenticeship
- Section 5A — Regulation of optional trade
- Section 5B — Engagement of apprentices from other States
- Section 6 — Period of apprenticeship training
- Section 7 — Termination of apprenticeship contract
- Section 8 — Number of apprentices for a designated trade
- Section 9 — Practical and basic training of apprentices
- Section 10 — Related instruction of apprentices
- Section 11 — Obligations of employers
- Section 12 — Obligations of apprentices
- Section 13 — Payment to apprentices
- Section 14 — Health, safety and welfare of apprentices
- Section 15 — Hours of work, overtime, leave and holidays
- Section 16 — Employer’s liability for compensation for injury
- Section 17 — Conduct and discipline
- Section 18 — Apprentices are trainees and not workers
- Section 19 — Records and returns
- Section 20 — Settlement of disputes
- Section 21 — Holding of test and grant of certificate and conclusion of training
- Section 22 — Offer and acceptance of employment
CHAPTER III — AUTHORITIES
- Section 23 — Authorities
- Section 24 — Constitution of Councils
- Section 25 — Vacancies not to invalidate acts and proceedings
- Section 26 — Apprenticeship Advisers
- Section 27 — Deputy and Assistant Apprenticeship Advisers
- Section 28 — Apprenticeship Advisers to be public servants
- Section 29 — Powers of entry, inspection, etc.
- Section 30 — Offences and penalties
- Section 31 — Penalty where no specific penalty is provided
- Section 32 — Offences by companies
- Section 33 — Cognizance of offences
- Section 34 — Delegation of powers
- Section 35 — Construction of references
- Section 36 — Protection of action taken in good faith
- Section 37 — Power to make rules
- Section 38 — [Repealed]
SCHEDULE
Note: The Apprentices Act, 1961 (Act No. 52 of 1961) received assent on 12 December 1961 and came into force on 1 March 1962. It has been substantially amended over the decades — most notably by the Apprentices (Amendment) Act, 1973 (w.e.f. 1 December 1974), Act 41 of 1986, Act 4 of 1997, Act 36 of 2007, and Act 29 of 2014 — to broaden its scope from trade apprentices to also cover graduate, technician, and technician (vocational) apprentices, and to modernise registration and penalty provisions.
