Nepal's apprenticeship system provides practical training for occupations such as mechanical work, agriculture, forestry, engineering, hospitality, tourism, handicrafts, textiles, garments and other trades. The Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) sets curricula, approves or affiliates providers, supports quality control, conducts examinations through its Office of the Controller of Examinations (OCE), and issues certificates. Workplace learning takes place in an industry or business, while the training institute provides theory and basic practical instruction. An in-company trainer or industrial supervisor monitors workplace tasks, attendance and the learning logbook. Formal options include Pre-Diploma Industrial Apprentice Training, commonly lasting 24 months, and a Diploma-level apprenticeship model under the Apprenticeship Training Operation Directive 2082, which is modular and generally lasts 36 months. Programme notices and implementation status can change, so the current CTEVT notice and the selected institution's published curriculum determine the applicable duration and structure. A conventional Pre-Diploma usually lasts about 18 months and may include 12 months of instruction followed by 6 months of on-the-job training, but that is a separate programme from every apprenticeship option. Entry normally requires Nepalese citizenship, a minimum age of 16, mental and physical fitness for the occupation, and at least the qualification specified by the curriculum, often SEE or an equivalent requirement. The applicant also needs an apprenticeship opportunity or recommendation from an industry. Selection can include a written entrance examination and an interview. In the documented apprenticeship model, the selection score uses the application at 20 percent, industry recommendation at 20 percent, written examination at 30 percent and interview at 30 percent. A local education representative participates in the selection committee. Meeting the basic conditions does not guarantee admission because seats and industry placements are limited. The agreement should identify the apprentice, sponsoring industry or business and training institute. It should state the learning arrangement, attendance duties, supervision, workplace tasks and applicable assessment rules. In one Pre-Diploma Mechanical example, the programme contains 1,280 hours at the institute and 2,600 hours, or 65 weeks, in industry, with a 160-hour block-release component. The total instructional load is 3,880 hours. The example requires at least 80 percent attendance in theory and 90 percent attendance in practical or industrial practice; another curriculum may set different details. The institute and industry carry out internal assessment, while the OCE conducts the final external examination. In the documented apprenticeship model, internal and final assessment each account for 50 percent. The learner must reach at least 40 percent in theory and 60 percent in practical or industrial practice and pass every subject or component required by the curriculum. Successful completion leads to a CTEVT Pre-Diploma certificate or the certificate specified by the programme. It does not guarantee a job, automatic progression to a Diploma, or an occupational licence. A graduate may apply for employment or further training, subject to the rules of the employer, programme and relevant authority. The Labour Act 2074 treats an apprentice engaged under an approved curriculum and institutional agreement differently from a regular statutory worker. If the establishment deploys the apprentice outside the approved curriculum, the person may be treated as a regular worker. Apprentices receive worker-equivalent occupational health and safety protection, and the establishment generally covers accident treatment and disability compensation unless the agreement provides otherwise. Working time may not exceed 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week under the cited rules. Attendance, safe conduct, workplace duties and an accurate logbook remain part of the apprentice's responsibilities. A Talimi trainee is a distinct category with different provisions, including a normal maximum training period of one year and specified employment-related benefits; the agreement should identify the correct category. Training is delivered through CTEVT constituent schools, partnership schools, community-school technical education programmes, affiliated private technical institutions and approved short-term providers. Workplace availability and provider quality vary by region, with the highest institutional concentration in Bagmati. The FY 2081/82 CTEVT network included 67 constituent schools, 58 partnership schools, 639 community-school technical education programmes, 439 affiliated private technical institutions and 1,850 affiliated or approved private short-term providers. These figures describe the wider TVET network, not the number of apprenticeship places at one institution. Apprenticeship fees depend on the programme, provider and funding arrangement. For FY 2081/82, CTEVT maximum fees included NPR 15,000 to NPR 22,000 for constituent Pre-Diploma programmes, NPR 55,000 to NPR 65,000 for community or partnership Pre-Diploma programmes, and up to NPR 160,000 for constituent Diploma or Certificate programmes or NPR 190,000 for community or partnership programmes. Apprenticeship-specific charges may differ, and payment may be divided into 40 percent, 30 percent and 30 percent instalments. Public, provincial, local and project support can reduce the amount payable. Classified scholarships reserve about 10 percent of places in regular programmes for specified groups, while merit and special scholarships can waive fees; eligible special-scholarship recipients may also receive hostel support, NPR 3,500 per month for subsistence, NPR 1,500 per year for transport and NPR 2,500 per year for clothing. Nepal had eight apprenticeship programmes in operation with a quota of 2,585 and 2,429 enrolled learners in FY 2081/82, while nine apprenticeship curricula were listed. This makes apprenticeship an established but smaller pathway beside conventional institutional Pre-Diploma and Diploma education. Short-term occupational training and National Skill Testing Board (NSTB) certification can provide other options for people who already have practical experience. NSTB tests skills against National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS); depending on the level, eligibility can rely on experience, relevant training or a combination of both. Recognition of prior learning (RPL) can assess learning from employment, self-practice, family or community activity, voluntary work, coaching, private study or overseas work. A designated centre tests the skills and may issue a full skills certificate or a Record of Achievements for passed units, with reassessment or further training for gaps.
Apprenticeship in Nepal
Apprenticeship in Nepal combines structured workplace learning with instruction from a training institution. It forms part of technical and vocational education and training (TVET), but it is a smaller pathway than the mainstream Pre-Diploma and Diploma options. Apprentices usually learn under an agreement involving the apprentice, an industry or business, and a training institute, leading to a CTEVT certificate when the required assessments are passed.
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