What Is the Mukhyamantri Apprenticeship Yojana in Gujarat, and Is It a Scholarship?

It is Gujarat's monthly reimbursement to establishments that engage apprentices, set by the apprentice's qualification, and not a scholarship (Socio-Economic Review 2024-25). The way in is an apprenticeship contract on a national portal, not an application to the state.

Does the Rs 3,000 Come on Top of My Stipend?

On the Review's reading, no. It describes MAY as reimbursing your employer for the stipend it pays you at the rate fixed by the Government of India (Socio-Economic Review 2024-25), so the Rs 3,000 lowers the establishment's cost rather than adding a line to your pay. Other state papers word it differently: the 2026-27 budget calls it monthly assistance to trainees (Gujarat Budget Highlights 2026-27). The one published case where it shows up as a named part of an individual's money is the state's higher-education internship, where Rs 3,000 from MAY is one of three parts of a Rs 12,000 monthly total (Development Programme 2026-27). What you are owed is the stipend written into your contract.

How Do I Claim the Apprentice Payment?

Under MAY there is nothing for you to claim, because the state settles with the establishment. The central share needs no claim either, because NAPS-2 releases it by DBT after the establishment's share of the stipend is confirmed (NAPS-2 Guidelines). What you can chase is a late stipend, as a contract dispute before the Apprenticeship Adviser (The Apprentices Act, 1961).

Is This the Same as Maharashtra's MAPS or Uttar Pradesh's CM Apprenticeship Scheme?

No. Maharashtra's Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme pays apprentices 75 per cent of the stipend or Rs 5,000 a month, whichever is less, and nothing during basic training (Maharashtra Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme, DVET). Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme, which also ranks for this name, is Uttar Pradesh's own programme with its own rules. MAY is Gujarat's, reimbursed to establishments at flat rates by qualification (Socio-Economic Review 2024-25).

What is the "Mukhyamantri Apprenticeship Yojana"?

The "Mukhyamantri Apprenticeship Yojana" is a skill development initiative by the Gujarat government to enhance youth employability through apprenticeships.

Who is eligible for the scheme?

Residents of Gujarat aged 14 years or older, meeting the educational requirements, can apply.

Is there a stipend for apprentices?

Yes, apprentices receive a monthly stipend depending on their trade.

Can freshers apply for the scheme?

Yes, freshers and ITI pass-outs are eligible for the scheme.

How long does the apprenticeship training last?

The training duration varies between 6 to 36 months, depending on the trade.

What trades are covered under the scheme?

Both designated and optional trades in engineering and non-engineering fields are covered.

What is the application process for the scheme?

Applicants need to register on the apprenticeship portal, upload documents, and select a trade and employer.

Are there any age restrictions for applicants?

Applicants must be at least 14 years old, and 18 years for hazardous trades.

Can apprentices switch trades during training?

Switching trades is subject to employer and apprenticeship advisor approval.

Are there any fees to apply for the scheme?

No, the application process is free of cost.

What happens after the apprenticeship training?

Apprentices may receive employment opportunities in the same establishment or elsewhere.

Scholarship

Mukhyamantri Apprenticeship Yojana(MAYG)

Q: How Is MAY Different From NAPS-2 and NATS?

NAPS-2 and NATS are the Government of India's schemes and carry the central share; MAY is Gujarat's amount, paid over and above them (MATS page, Directorate of Employment and Training, archived May 2018). MAY does not set or change the NATS stipend; that rate is the Education ministry's, published on the NATS portal (nats.education.gov.in).

Composite

State/ UT

Gujarat State Government Gujarat myScheme record

Eligibility

The applicant must be a resident of Gujarat.

Region

Gujarat

Award

Composite

Deadline

Not published by the source

Overview

About MAYG

The Mukhyamantri Apprenticeship Yojana (MAY) turns up in scholarship listings, but its money does not start with a student's application. Gujarat pays its share to the establishment that engages you as an apprentice, month by month, against the stipend that establishment pays you. Three separate payments meet in one apprenticeship, and knowing which is which tells you what to check and whom to ask.

Gujarat's Labour and Employment Department launched the Mukhyamantri Apprenticeship Yojana in 2018-19 with a target of engaging one lakh apprentices a year in factories, hotels, hospitals, transport, banks, mining, IT and financial-services units covered by the Apprentices Act. The employer pays the apprentice the stipend fixed by the Government of India, and the state reimburses that employer per apprentice per month according to the apprentice's qualification: Rs 3,000 for a graduate, Rs 2,000 for a diploma holder and Rs 1,500 for everyone else (Socio-Economic Review 2024-25, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Gujarat).

The scheme has run past its target. The same Review counts 1,38,834 apprentices covered in 2023-24 and 1,05,242 in 2024-25 up to 16 November 2024, with more than 27,000 establishments registered on the portal (Socio-Economic Review 2024-25).

The Directorate of Employment and Training's 2018 launch page called industries the key beneficiaries, with apprentices gaining through the training, and set the state amount over and above the reimbursement given under the central NAPS and NATS schemes (MATS page, Directorate of Employment and Training, archived May 2018). The 2026-27 state budget provides Rs 80 crore for monthly assistance of up to Rs 3,000 to trainees under the scheme, and lists its extension to the services sector (Gujarat Budget Highlights 2026-27, Finance Department). The budget line names trainees; the Review, which sets out how the money moves, routes it to the employer as a reimbursement of the stipend.

Who runs it

Provider

Gujarat State Government

State / UT Government

Labour and Employment Department

At a glance

Key details

Level	State/ UT
Scheme type	Not published by the source
Category	Education & Learning
Beneficiaries	Individual
Benefit type	Composite
Application mode	Online
Direct Benefit Transfer	No
Tags	Apprenticeship, Training, Skill Development, Youth, Employment
Source record	myScheme, 2026-07-08official-site· 2026-07-08

Calendar

Important dates

MAY publishes no application window or last date. What can be dated is its 2018-19 launch, the two August 2023 changes around it, the 2026-27 budget line and the two deadlines that recur every month.

Stage	When	Who sets it
Scheme launched	2018-19	Labour and Employment Department, Gujarat
Central share moves to DBT	NAPS-2 guidelines dated 25 August 2023	Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
ST bus pass for apprentices approved	August 2023	Labour, Skill Development and Employment Department, Gujarat
Rs 80 crore provision and services-sector extension	Budget 2026-27	Finance Department, Gujarat
Establishment's share of the stipend credited	By the 10th of the following month	Apprenticeship Rules, restated in the NAPS-2 guidelines
Central DBT released on a NAPS-2 contract	Within 72 working hours of that credit	NAPS-2 guidelines

Who can apply

Eligibility criteria

The myScheme conditions shown on this page describe the apprentice. Two further facts decide whether any MAY money moves at all, and at what rate.

You must be engaged. The state reimburses the stipend an employer pays to an apprentice it has taken on (Socio-Economic Review 2024-25), so registering on a portal brings in nothing until an establishment engages you.
Your qualification sets the rate. A degree puts the establishment in the Rs 3,000 row and a diploma in the Rs 2,000 row; everyone else, which in the myScheme table means trade apprentices, technician (vocational) apprentices and optional-trade apprentices without a degree or diploma, sits in the Rs 1,500 row (Socio-Economic Review 2024-25; MAYG record, myScheme).

The applicant must be a resident of Gujarat.
The applicant must be at least 14 years old (18 years for hazardous trades).
The applicant must meet the minimum educational qualification specific to the trade.
The applicant must be a minimum 5th pass-out.
The applicant must satisfy the physical fitness standards prescribed for the trade.
The applicant must not have been engaged in any similar apprenticeship program previously.

Who cannot apply

Exclusions

MAY's myScheme record publishes no exclusion list; the exclusions that bite come from the central scheme and from the bus pass attached to MAY.

NAPS-2 pays no central share for apprentices at Central or State government departments, public sector undertakings or public sector banks (NAPS-2 Guidelines, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship). MAY's one-lakh target, when announced, counted engagement by private and government sectors alike (Mukhyamantri Apprenticeship Scheme, SLBC Gujarat), but none of the Gujarat documents cited here says whether the state reimbursement is paid to a government establishment, so an apprentice in a state office or PSU should ask the establishment which parts its contract carries.

The ST bus pass tied to MAY left three groups out of its first phase: apprentices living within 30 km of their unit, apprentices at large units that already provide transport or housing, and diploma and degree apprentices, whose engagement runs through the Board of Apprenticeship Training, Mumbai, under the Education ministry (resolution on ST bus passes for apprentices, Labour, Skill Development and Employment Department, August 2023; NITI Aayog, Revitalizing India's Apprenticeship Ecosystem).

Continuation

Renewal conditions

There is no renewal step for the apprentice: the state reimburses the establishment per apprentice per month for the stipend it pays (Socio-Economic Review 2024-25), so the payment follows the apprenticeship contract rather than a yearly application.

What you get

Award & benefits

The table sets the three payments side by side, because a Gujarat apprenticeship can carry all three at once.

Payment	Paid by	Paid to	Monthly amount
Establishment's share of the stipend	The establishment	The apprentice's bank account	At least 75% of the stipend on a NAPS-2 contract, the whole stipend on a non-DBT contract
MAY reimbursement, graduate	Government of Gujarat	The establishment	Rs 3,000
MAY reimbursement, diploma holder	Government of Gujarat	The establishment	Rs 2,000
MAY reimbursement, others	Government of Gujarat	The establishment	Rs 1,500
NAPS-2 central share, Skill Development ministry contracts	Government of India, through NSDC	The apprentice, by DBT	25% of the stipend paid, up to Rs 1,500

The Review still records the central Rs 1,500 as a monthly assistance given to employers (Socio-Economic Review 2024-25). That is the older route. The NAPS-2 guidelines dated 25 August 2023 moved the Government of India's share out of employer reimbursement and into the apprentice's own bank account by DBT (NAPS-2 Guidelines). The launch-era sums you may still see quoted, such as Rs 1,500 from the state plus Rs 1,500 from the Centre making Rs 3,000 per trade apprentice for the industry (MATS page, MSU Baroda), therefore no longer land in one place.

The clearest published total for an individual comes from the state's own colleges. The Graduate Intern and Apprentice in Higher Education scheme funds interns in 125 government colleges, 300 grant-in-aid colleges and 14 government universities, and each intern receives Rs 12,000 a month: Rs 4,500 under NATS, Rs 3,000 under MAY and Rs 4,500 from the higher-education scheme (Development Programme 2026-27, Government of Gujarat).

Travel is the other benefit tied to MAY. Apprentices travelling over 30 km get a concessional GSRTC bus pass (resolution on ST bus passes for apprentices, August 2023), and NITI Aayog's February 2026 report, quoting the Gujarat Skill Development Mission, puts the allocation at Rs 5.75 crore for 4,144 candidates under MAY and the Mahila Apprentice Protsahak Yojana (NITI Aayog, Revitalizing India's Apprenticeship Ecosystem).

Categories of apprenticesStipendTrade apprentice (MSDE)₹1500/-Optional trade apprentice (MSDE)₹3000/- (Graduate ); ₹2000/- (Any Diploma); ₹1500/- (Others)Technician (Vocational) apprentices (MSDE)1500/-Technician apprentices (MOE) (Diploma in engineering or non-engineering stream and undergoing apprenticeship training in designated trades)2000/-Graduate apprentices (MOE) (Graduates in engineering or non-engineering stream and undergoing apprenticeship training in designated trades)3000/-
Duration of Training: Duration of Apprenticeship (including basic training) is between 6-24 months for Optional Trade and 6-36 months for Designated Trade at the discretion of an establishment (Passed out trainees in the particular trade of NCVT pattern designated by D.G.T. as well as GCVT patterr desionated by D.F. T. is also allowed rebate in the duration of Anprenticeshin Training.)

What to prepare

Documents required

Of the papers listed below, the qualification certificate is the one with money attached: it places you in the graduate, diploma or others row that sets the state's monthly reimbursement to your establishment (Socio-Economic Review 2024-25).

Proof of identity (Aadhaar card, Voter ID, etc.).

Proof of residence (Aadhaar card, Voter ID, etc.).

Proof of educational qualification (Certificates or Mark sheets).

Bank account.

Recent passport-sized photograph.

Any other documents (if required).

Step by step

How to apply

Gujarat now sends apprentices to the national portals rather than to a state form. The Directorate of Employment and Training's website, as read in September 2026, points its Apprenticeship Training Scheme link straight to the national Apprenticeship Training Portal (Directorate of Employment and Training). You register on the portal that matches your apprenticeship, an establishment engages you under a contract, and the state's reimbursement follows that contract. The myScheme table places trade, optional-trade (graduates included) and technician (vocational) apprentices with the Skill Development ministry, and graduate and technician apprentices in designated trades with the Education ministry (MAYG record, myScheme), which gives two doors:

Skill Development ministry: the Apprenticeship Training Portal (apprenticeshipindia.gov.in). MSU Baroda sends non-technical graduates and postgraduates, such as BA, BCom, MCom, LLB, BSc and MSc holders, here.
Education ministry: the NATS portal (nats.education.gov.in). MSU Baroda sends technical candidates, such as BE, diploma, BArch and MCA holders, here.

MSU Baroda's MATS page, which sets out this split, also points candidates to a third, Gujarat Government registration at matsgujarat.org (MATS page, MSU Baroda). That site no longer loads, so do not wait on it; contracts are now made on the two national portals above.

The bus pass has its own short route. The portal-registered establishment recommends the apprentice to the Assistant Apprenticeship Adviser at the regional ex-officio office, which certifies the papers, and the local GSRTC office issues the pass (resolution on ST bus passes for apprentices, August 2023).

Tracking Your Contract and Payments

The Review has the MAY amount settled between the state and the establishment (Socio-Economic Review 2024-25), so it is not a credit you track yourself. The two you can watch are the establishment's share of your stipend and the central share. On a Skill Development ministry contract, the establishment owes its share into your account by the 10th of the following month, the central share lands by DBT once that credit is confirmed, and the guidelines give each apprentice a claim and DBT status view inside their own login on apprenticeshipindia.gov.in (NAPS-2 Guidelines). On an Education ministry contract, the NATS portal posts its own notices on the government share paid by DBT, including the e-KYC it requires (nats.education.gov.in).

If the establishment's credit is late, Section 20 of the Apprentices Act treats it as a contract dispute: it goes to the Apprenticeship Adviser for decision, with an appeal to the Apprenticeship Council within thirty days (The Apprentices Act, 1961, Directorate General of Training). In Gujarat, MAY's portal work at the regional offices runs through the Assistant Apprenticeship Advisers (resolution on MAY field staff, Labour, Skill Development and Employment Department, February 2024).

1
Apply online
The official links on this page lead to the application portal.

How winners are picked

Selection process

None of the MAY documents cited here describes a merit list or a selection round. The establishment decides whom to engage, sometimes at recruitment fairs such as the MATS fair for which MSU Baroda lists the visiting companies, and the state's amount follows whoever it engages (MATS page, MSU Baroda).

Fine print

Terms & conditions

The stipend itself is paid by the employer as per the minimum rates prescribed under Rule 11 of the Apprenticeship Rules, 1992, and MAY reimburses the employer against it rather than replacing it (NAPS-2 Guidelines; Socio-Economic Review 2024-25).

The bus pass is limited to apprentices living beyond 30 km of their unit, and the benefit reaches you as the pass itself: GSRTC bills the regional ex-officio offices quarterly and is paid from there (resolution on ST bus passes for apprentices; NITI Aayog).

Get help

Contact

The Directorate of Employment and Training sits at Block No 1, 3rd Floor, Dr. Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Sector 10B, Gandhinagar 382010; phone 079-23253811 or 23253814; email det-gujarat@gujarat.gov.in (Address, Directorate of Employment and Training). For contract papers or a bus pass, the first stop is the Assistant Apprenticeship Adviser at the regional ex-officio office that covers your establishment (resolution on ST bus passes for apprentices).

Source

Official links

Guidelines 1 Guidelines 2 myScheme (Government of India)

Questions

MAYG – FAQ

Frequently asked questions

From the official scheme FAQ (myScheme)

Read this

Disclaimer

Scheme details are compiled from myScheme, the Government of India’s official scheme-discovery platform, and are reproduced without alteration. Amounts, deadlines and eligibility change between cycles, so always confirm on the official links above before applying. Expertie does not process applications or charge fees.

References

Sources

Socio-Economic Review 2024-25, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Gujarat – financedepartment.gujarat.gov.in
MATS page, Directorate of Employment and Training, archived May 2018 – web.archive.org
MAYG record, myScheme – myscheme.gov.in
NAPS-2 Guidelines, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship – naps-cdn.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com
Mukhyamantri Apprenticeship Scheme, SLBC Gujarat – slbcgujarat.in
resolution on ST bus passes for apprentices, Labour, Skill Development and Employment Department, August 2023 – labour.gujarat.gov.in
NITI Aayog, Revitalizing India's Apprenticeship Ecosystem – niti.gov.in
MATS page, MSU Baroda – msubaroda.ac.in
Development Programme 2026-27, Government of Gujarat – gad.gujarat.gov.in
Directorate of Employment and Training – det.gujarat.gov.in
apprenticeshipindia.gov.in – apprenticeshipindia.gov.in
nats.education.gov.in – nats.education.gov.in
The Apprentices Act, 1961, Directorate General of Training – rdsdeodisha.dgt.gov.in
Maharashtra Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme, DVET – maps.dvet.gov.in
Guidelines 1 – talimrojgar.gujarat.gov.in