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Apprentices Act, 1961

Section 8: Number of apprentices for a designated trade

Section 8 of the Apprentices Act, 1961 explained with current 2025-26 amendments, employer controls, evidence and connected Rules.

Law Hub L8Data reviewed on 17 July 2026India-first compliance

What section 8 does

Connects establishment strength with prescribed apprentice engagement requirements.

Connected instrument: Rule 7B

Finin2min practical reading

  • Identify the apprentice category, trade, establishment jurisdiction and applicable portal before applying the provision.
  • Separate statutory apprenticeship from internships, probation, traineeships and ordinary employment.
  • Do not treat scheme reimbursement as a substitute for the employer’s underlying statutory obligations.
  • Preserve the contract, approvals, portal trail and training evidence as one auditable file.

Employer control and evidence pack

  • Executed/registered contract and portal acknowledgement
  • Training plan, attendance/work diary and supervisor records
  • Stipend bank/DBT evidence where relevant
  • Adviser approval, correspondence or order where the section requires it

Statutory text extract

Extracted from the bundled official/consolidated source. For sections amended in 2026, the current overlay above controls over older consolidated wording.

[8. Number of apprentices for a designated trade.—(1) The Central Government shall prescribe
the number of apprentices to be engaged by the employer for designated trade and optional trade.
     (2) Several employers may join together either themselves or through an agency, approved by the
Apprenticeship Adviser, according to the guidelines issued from time to time by the Central Government
in this behalf, for the purpose of providing apprenticeship training to the apprentices under them.]
                                                 STATE AMENDMENTS
Maharashtra
    Amendment of section 8 of 52 of 1961.—In section 8 of the principal Act, after the existing
sub-section (1), the following sub-section shall be inserted, namely:—
         “(1A) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), the establishment shall have to
     engage trade apprentices to the extent of minimum 2.5 per cent. and maximum 25 per cent. of the
     total strength of the employees of establishment including contractual or daily wages or whose
     services have been available through third party in any designated trades or optional trades for which
     activities are carried out in that establishment.”.
[Vide Maharashtra Act 17 of 2018, s. 4]
Rajasthan
    Amendment of section 8, Central Act No. 52 of 1961.—For the existing section 8 of the principal
Act, the following shall be substituted, namely:-
              “8. Number of apprentices for a designated trade.- (1) The State Government
          shall, after consulting the State Apprenticeship Council, by order notified in the Official
          Gazette, determine for each designated trade the ratio of trade apprentices to workers
          other than unskilled workers in that trade:
             Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall be deemed to prevent any
          employer from engaging a number of trade apprentices in excess of the ratio determined
          under this sub-section.
              (2) In determining the ratio under sub-section (1), the State Government shall have
          regard to the facilities available for apprenticeship training under this Act in the
          designated trade concerned as well as to the facilities that may have to be made available
          by an employer for the training of graduate or technician apprentices or technician
          (vocational) apprentices, if any, in pursuance of a notice issued to him under sub-section

Compliance consequence

Failure should be tested against sections 30, 31 and 31A as in force from 22 June 2026, alongside contract termination/compensation consequences and any portal or scheme action.

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