Hiring Freshers: Should We Require a Year Commitment in Appointment Letters to Reduce Attrition?

Dear All, we need to hire candidates for a department, mostly freshers. We are planning to opt for an apprenticeship/trainee.

Apprenticeship Process

I researched that for an apprenticeship, it should be a regular process. We need to hire apprentices regularly. However, this may be a concern if there are fewer projects.

Trainee Hiring and Benefits

In the case of trainees, based on the requirement, can we hire them? Will PF, ESI, Gratuity, and bonus be applicable? We can stop the recruitment on a need basis.

Appointment Letter Clause

Can we include a clause in the appointment letter stating that they need to work for 1 year to receive the confirmation letter? This is to reduce attrition. Please advise.

Legal Implications of Using the Term "Apprentice"

Usage of the term "Apprentice" has legal connotations; primarily, they have to be apprentices as per the Apprentices Act 1961, and there is a prescribed method of training to be followed. This does not seem to be the case. You can refer to them as "Trainees."

Appointment Order Specification

In the appointment order, you can specify that at the end of one year of training, the trainees will be considered for regular appointment (as a Probationer/confirmed employee). It is unlikely that this will help in containing attrition.