Section 9 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 9 is the longest training provision of the Apprentices Act, 1961. It requires every employer to make suitable arrangements for practical training, gives the Apprenticeship Adviser access to apprentices, provides for basic training of trade apprentices who lack institutional training, and divides the recurring costs, including stipends, between the employer and the Government.
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 make suitable arrangements in the workplace for a course of practical training for every apprentice engaged. Certain trade apprentices must first undergo basic training. The cost rules depend on the type of apprentice and, for basic training, on whether the employer employs two hundred and fifty workers or more. Sub-sections (4A), (4B), (5) and (6) are omitted.
Sub-sections (1) to (3): arrangements, access and basic training
Sub-section (1) (marked as inserted by Act 29 of 2014): every employer shall make suitable arrangements in his workplace for imparting a course of practical training to every apprentice engaged by him. The duty is on every employer and covers every apprentice.
Sub-section (2): the Central Apprenticeship Adviser, or any other person not below the rank of an Assistant Apprenticeship Adviser authorised by the State Apprenticeship Adviser in writing, shall be given all reasonable facilities for access to each apprentice, to test his work and to ensure that the practical training is being imparted in accordance with the approved programme. The proviso adds that the State Apprenticeship Adviser, or any person not below the rank of an Apprenticeship Adviser authorised by the State Apprenticeship Adviser in writing, shall also be given such facilities in respect of apprentices in establishments for which the appropriate Government is the State Government. The copy places the closing square bracket in the middle of the sentence, after "in this behalf", a layout slip.
Sub-section (3): trade apprentices who have not undergone institutional training in a school or other institution recognised by the National Council, or in any other institution affiliated to or recognised by a Board or State Council of Technical Education or any other authority the Central Government may specify by notification, shall, before admission in the workplace for practical training, undergo a course of basic training. The course shall be given in any institute having adequate facilities.
On sub-section (3), the consolidated copy is in error against the Gazette copy of the Apprentices (Amendment) Act, 2014. The copy prints "before admission in the workshop"; the Gazette has "in the workplace". Our labour law compliance team can help you build a training plan around these three sub-sections.
Sub-section (4): five hundred or more workers
Where an employer employs in his establishment five hundred or more workers, the basic training shall be imparted to the trade apprentices either in separate parts of the workshop building or in a separate building set up by the employer himself. The appropriate Government may grant loans to the employer "on easy terms and repayable by easy installments" to meet the cost of the land, construction and equipment for such a separate building. The Act prints no rate, ceiling or condition for those loans. Remember that "worker" in section 2(r) does not include an apprentice; see our article on section 2 (trade apprentice, graduate apprentice, optional trade and worker).
Omitted and approval sub-sections
Sub-sections (4A), (4B), (5) and (6) are omitted by Act 29 of 2014 and appear in the copy as asterisks; we do not describe what they used to say.
Sub-section (7) (marked as substituted by Act 29 of 2014): for an apprentice other than a graduate or technician apprentice or technician (vocational) apprentice, the syllabus of and the equipment to be utilised for practical training, including basic training in any designated trade, shall be such as may be approved by the Central Government in consultation with the Central Apprenticeship Council. The copy opens a bracket here and never closes it.
Sub-section (7-A): for graduate or technician apprentices and technician (vocational) apprentices, the programme of apprenticeship training and the facilities required shall be such as may be approved by the Central Government in consultation with the Central Apprenticeship Council. The copy prints "graduate or technician apprentices technician (vocational) apprentices" without "or" between them; the Gazette has "or" (sub-section (7A)).
Sub-section (8): who bears the recurring costs
This is the only provision in the Act that shares a stipend cost with the Government. It has three clauses.
| Clause | Apprentices | Who bears recurring costs |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Basic training of trade apprentices other than those in section 6(a) and (aa) | If the employer employs two hundred and fifty workers or more: the employer. If it employs less than two hundred and fifty workers: the employer and the Government in equal shares up to a limit laid down by the Central Government, and beyond that limit the employer alone. Costs include the cost of stipends. |
| (b) | Practical training, including basic training, of trade apprentices referred to in section 6(a) and (aa) | The employer, in every case. Costs include the cost of stipends, if any. |
| (c) | Practical training of graduate or technician apprentices and technician (vocational) apprentices | Recurring costs excluding stipends: the employer. The cost of stipends: the Central Government and the employer in equal shares up to a limit laid down by the Central Government, and beyond that limit the employer alone, except apprentices who hold a degree or diploma in non-engineering. |
The words "except apprentices who holds degree or diploma in non-engineering" at the end of clause (c) are printed in the consolidated copy exactly as in the Gazette, including "holds". The Act does not print the limit; it is "laid down by the Central Government", and no limit is in the sources used for this article. It also does not say how or when the Government's share is paid. This sub-section is the only reimbursement of stipend the text contains, and nothing else is stated here about any other scheme.
Clause (a) shows stray brackets around "basic training" and a closing bracket after "(aa)", which is a layout slip in the copy.
What this means for an employer
- Arrange the training. Section 9(1) puts the duty on every employer; sub-sections (7) and (7-A) say the syllabus, equipment, programme and facilities are approved by the Central Government.
- Allow access. Give the persons named in sub-section (2) all reasonable facilities for access to each apprentice.
- Check who needs basic training. Only trade apprentices without the institutional training described in sub-section (3).
- Count your workers. The five hundred and two hundred and fifty thresholds count workers, not apprentices.
- Plan the stipend cost. Section 13 requires a stipend; see our article on section 13 (payment of stipend) for the stipend duty itself.
The four Labour Codes are in force from 21 November 2025; check the current position before relying on any other labour law.
An example
Nova Textiles employs 180 workers and engages six trade apprentices who have not undergone institutional training. Under sub-section (3) they must undergo basic training before admission in the workplace for practical training. Because Nova employs less than two hundred and fifty workers, sub-section (8)(a)(ii) says the recurring costs of that basic training, including stipends, are shared between Nova and the Government in equal shares up to the limit laid down by the Central Government, and beyond that by Nova alone. Had Nova employed two hundred and fifty workers or more, the employer would bear them.
Need help with apprentice training arrangements?
Training arrangements, cost sharing and head-count thresholds are easier to manage when planned before the first apprentice joins. Our labour law compliance team can help you map the arrangements, access records and cost workings that section 9 expects.
Key takeaways
- Every employer must make suitable arrangements in the workplace for practical training of every apprentice engaged.
- The Apprenticeship Adviser and authorised persons must be given reasonable facilities for access to test the work.
- Trade apprentices without institutional training undergo basic training before admission in the workplace.
- Employers with five hundred or more workers provide separate premises for basic training; loans may be granted by the appropriate Government.
- Section 9(8) divides recurring costs, with two hundred and fifty workers as the threshold for basic training.
Read next
- Section 10: related instruction of apprentices
- Section 11: obligations of employers
- Sections 6-8: period of training, termination and number of apprentices
- 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.