- The Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2006 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on May 19, 2006. The Bill was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour which submitted its report on May 19, 2006.
- There are three proposed amendments in the Bill: (a) Reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs); (b) Increased flexibility for employers; and (c) Training charges to be borne by employers.
- The Apprentices Act, 1961 mandates employers in certain trades to train a minimum number of apprentices. The Principal Act reserves a certain number of training places for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The Bill proposes to reserve training places for OBCs too. The number of such seats will depend on the population of OBCs in the state concerned.
- The Principal Act fixes a certain number of training seats based on the total number of employees. This proportion is specified for each notified trade. If there is more than one designated trade in an establishment, apprenticeships may be less than the stipulated number in a particular trade, provided that this shortfall is made up in other trades within the same establishment. Under the Principal Act, the shortfall in any single designated trade was limited at 20 per cent of the stipulated number. The Bill proposes to increase this to 50 per cent.
- Apprentices are entitled to a government approved course that imparts theoretical knowledge related to the field. In the Principal Act, the cost for this course was to be borne by the state government. The Bill proposes the expense to be borne by the employer instead.
