Sections 19-20 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Section 19 requires every employer to maintain records of the progress of each apprentice's training, to furnish returns until a portal-site is developed, and to give trade-wise requirement and engagement of apprentices on the portal-site. Section 20 sends any dispute between an employer and an apprentice arising out of the contract to the Apprenticeship Adviser, with an appeal to the Apprenticeship Council.
This article is based on the consolidated text of the Act consulted (amended up to Act 29 of 2014). Later amendments should be checked before you rely on it.
Every employer must maintain records of the progress of training of each apprentice in the prescribed form, furnish prescribed information and returns until a portal-site is developed, and thereafter give trade-wise requirement and engagement on the portal-site. A dispute arising out of the contract goes to the Apprenticeship Adviser for decision; an aggrieved person may appeal within thirty days to the Apprenticeship Council, and the committee's decision is final.
Section 19: records and returns
| Sub-section | What it says |
|---|---|
| (1) | Every employer shall maintain records of the progress of training of each apprentice undergoing apprenticeship training in his establishment in such form as may be prescribed. |
| (2) | Until a portal-site is developed by the Central Government, every employer shall furnish such information and return in such form as may be prescribed, to such authorities at such intervals as may be prescribed. |
| (3) | Every employer shall also give trade-wise requirement and engagement of apprentices in respect of apprenticeship training on the portal-site developed by the Central Government. |
Sub-sections (2) and (3) are marked in the copy as substituted by Act 29 of 2014. We checked them against the Gazette copy of the Apprentices (Amendment) Act, 2014, and the wording is the same.
Three duties follow. The first is internal: a progress record for each apprentice, kept in the prescribed form. The second is external and temporary: returns to prescribed authorities at prescribed intervals, until a portal-site is developed. The third is the portal-site duty: trade-wise requirement and engagement. The sub-sections leave the form, the authority and the interval to rules; and they do not say whether a portal-site has been developed. The consolidated copy does not print a portal name or address, and this article names none. If you want your record system reviewed against these three duties, our labour law compliance team can help.
Rule 14: the prescribed records
Rule 14 of the Apprenticeship Rules, 1992 is the rule on records and returns. As per the consolidated copy of the Rules consulted (latest amendment marked: 20 January 2017), it provides that:
- the contract of apprenticeship in Format-1 of Schedule III shall be forwarded on the portal-site by the employer for registration;
- a work diary in Format-2 of Schedule III shall be maintained by each trade apprentice and optional trade apprentice and countersigned by the supervisor once in a week;
- every employer shall maintain a register of attendance of the apprentices, with action taken for irregular and unauthorised absence recorded at the end of each month; and
- every employer shall maintain a record of the work done and training undertaken by graduate, technician and technician (vocational) apprentices for each quarter and, at the end of each quarter, send a report in the Form Apprenticeship specified in Schedule III to the Director, Regional Board of Apprenticeship Training concerned.
Rule 14 is marked in that copy as substituted by G.S.R. 63(E) of 20 January 2017. The copy prints "Work dairy" for "work diary", a printing slip. The Rules are amended often; check the current Rules. Our article on Rules 6, 9, 9A, 10 and 14 of the Apprenticeship Rules, 1992 covers the rule and its Schedule in more detail.
Section 20: settlement of disputes
| Sub-section | What it says |
|---|---|
| (1) | Any disagreement or dispute between an employer and an apprentice arising out of the contract to apprenticeship shall be referred to the Apprenticeship Adviser for decisions. |
| (2) | Any person aggrieved by the decision of the Apprenticeship Adviser under sub-section (1) may, within thirty days from the date of communication to him of such decision, prefer an appeal to the Apprenticeship Council; the appeal shall be heard and determined by a committee of that Council appointed for the purpose. |
| (3) | The decision of the Committee under sub-section (2) and, subject only to such decision, the decision of the Apprenticeship Adviser under sub-section (1) shall be final. |
The scope is "arising out of the contract". A dispute that does not arise from the contract of apprenticeship is not within the wording. The route is fixed: Adviser first, then an appeal to the Apprenticeship Council, heard by a committee of the Council. The period for appeal is thirty days "from the date of communication to him of such decision", so the clock runs from communication, not from the date of the decision. The Act does not print any form, fee or procedure for the reference or the appeal, and no rule in the sources fills them. Section 20 also does not mention a court. The copy prints "contract to apprenticeship" and "subsection" without a hyphen, which are slips; we quote them as printed.
Termination of a contract by the Adviser is a separate route under section 7; see our article on sections 6-8. A dispute about the contract that could lead to termination may therefore raise both sections.
Practical points for an employer
- Keep records from day one. Progress records, the attendance register and the work diary are easier to keep as you go than to rebuild.
- Diarise the periods. Thirty days for an appeal; any dates the prescribed returns call for.
- Do not wait for a portal-site to keep records. Sub-section (1) applies regardless of the portal-site.
- Use the Adviser before any other forum for a contract dispute. Section 20(1) says the dispute "shall be referred" to the Adviser.
The four Labour Codes are in force from 21 November 2025; check the current position before relying on any other labour law.
For a general checklist of employer records, see our labour law compliance checklist.
An example
Crescent Plastics and its apprentice, Nisha, disagree about whether a month of training was completed. Nisha's guardian refers the matter to the Apprenticeship Adviser under section 20(1), who decides it. Crescent is aggrieved and receives the decision on 10 April. Under section 20(2) it may appeal to the Apprenticeship Council within thirty days from the date of communication, so the last day counted from 10 April is in May. The appeal is heard by a committee of the Council. Crescent's progress record, attendance register and work diary for Nisha, kept under section 19 and rule 14, become the evidence of what was done.
Need help with apprentice records and disputes?
Good records make disputes shorter, and a clear reference route avoids missed periods. Our labour law compliance service can help you build the record set and a short dispute protocol for your apprentices.
Key takeaways
- Every employer must maintain records of the progress of training of each apprentice in the prescribed form.
- Returns are furnished until a portal-site is developed; trade-wise requirement and engagement go on the portal-site afterwards.
- Rule 14, as printed in the copy of the Rules consulted, lists the contract, work diary, attendance register and quarterly report.
- Contract disputes go to the Apprenticeship Adviser, with an appeal within thirty days to the Apprenticeship Council.
- The committee's decision, and subject to it the Adviser's, is final.
Read next
- Section 21: test, certificate and conclusion of training
- Section 4: contract of apprenticeship and registration
- Rules 6, 9, 9A, 10 and 14: contract, registration, trainers and records
- Labour law compliance checklist for employers
Disclaimer: Based on a consolidated text of the Apprentices Act, 1961 amended up to Act 29 of 2014, on the Gazette of India copy of the Apprentices (Amendment) Act, 2014, and on a consolidated copy of the Apprenticeship Rules, 1992 in which the latest amendment marked is dated 20 January 2017, as consulted on 2 October 2026. Stipend rates and other figures are as printed in those texts and may have been revised; later amendments and the position under the Labour Codes in force from 21 November 2025 should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.