The Apprentices Act, 1961

What the Act governs

The Apprentices Act, 1961 regulates apprenticeship training undertaken under a contract of apprenticeship. It covers training arrangements, employer and apprentice responsibilities, payments, safety, working conditions, records, dispute settlement, testing, certification and possible employment after training.

The Act extends throughout India. Its provisions apply to an area or industry when the Central Government specifies that area or industry by notification in the Official Gazette. A special apprenticeship scheme notified by the Central Government is excluded from the Act.

Who may be affected

The Apprentices Act, 1961 mainly affects apprentices, employers and establishments that provide apprenticeship training. It also establishes roles for the Central Government, State Governments, Apprenticeship Councils, Apprenticeship Advisers and Regional Boards.

The appropriate government depends on the establishment. The Central Government is responsible for specified categories, including railways, major ports, mines, oilfields, certain centrally controlled bodies and establishments operating from locations in four or more States. The State Government is responsible for other establishments and the State Apprenticeship Council.

For a property buyer or owner, the Act does not regulate land ownership or property transfers. It may matter where premises are used as an establishment that employs workers and provides apprenticeship training. Different departments or branches of an establishment are treated as part of that establishment, whether they are in the same place or different places.

Key provisions

• An apprentice is a person undergoing apprenticeship training under a contract of apprenticeship.
• A person entering apprenticeship training in a designated trade must be at least fourteen years old. The minimum age is eighteen for designated trades related to hazardous industries.
• Apprentices must also meet prescribed educational and physical fitness standards, which may differ by trade and apprentice category.
• Employers must reserve training places for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in designated trades. The prescribed number must have regard to their population in the State concerned.
• The Act addresses contracts, training periods, termination, practical training, related instruction, stipends, health and safety, working hours, leave and compensation for injury.
• Apprentices are treated as trainees rather than workers under the structure of the Act.
• The enforcement framework includes inspection powers, offences, penalties, adjudication, warnings and written advisories requiring compliance within a specified period.

Amendment status

The supplied text is consolidated as on 22 June 2026. It lists several amending laws, most recently the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, which introduced definitions for an advisory and a warning.