The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) on April 23, 2026, notified regarding the Approval for Optional Trades with a duration exceeding one year.
The following has been stated:
• It has approved certain Optional Trades with a duration exceeding one year under the Apprenticeship Rules, 1992. Specifically, three new non-NSQF Optional Trades—Data Analytics Professional, Digital Business Marketing Professional, and Project Management Professional—offered by Google India Private Limited in collaboration with CAIT Edusys have been permitted with a duration of 24 months.
• This approval is granted under sub-rule (16) of rule 7A and is effective from March 13, 2026. However, as per the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS-2) guidelines dated August 25, 2023, apprentices enrolled in these Optional Trades will not be eligible for any partial stipend support from the Government.
[Notification no. - MSDE-14(01)/2022-AP-OT (E50097)]
