Facing an Apprentice Act Deadline: How Urgent Is It and What Steps Should I Take?

Hi All,

Recently, my company received a letter from BOAT (boatnr.org) regarding the employment of an apprentice. My company is an IT firm that has been operating for several years with around 50 employees. I received this notification to engage an apprentice as per The Apprentice Act, 1961, and to be honest, I have never engaged anyone under this act or registered anywhere as well. I am in a time crunch as we are going through some process changes, and this letter has warned us to complete the necessary steps by 7th Sep '22; otherwise, we will be considered defaulters and penalized accordingly.

Request for Guidance on Apprentice Engagement

Can anyone shed some light on this issue, such as how serious this offense is, whether we should complete the necessary steps as soon as possible, etc., and provide guidance on the further procedure? I have attached the letter for your reference. If any further details are required, please let me know. I am seeking all of your expert advice here as I have not dealt with anything related to this and am under pressure due to other commitments. It would be very helpful if anyone could provide some initial guidance so that I can understand the steps needed to be taken.

Thank you all in advance.

Regards,
Shailja - HR

The Apprentice Advisors are generally helpful and rarely enforce the concept of an apprentice. I suggest you pick up the phone and speak to the concerned person, and if possible, attend the weekly webinar to understand better.

It is possible that they have misunderstood what your company is doing, and maybe the apprentices are not even suitable for your work. Once you have that clear, you can discuss the fact that you are not in a position to take them in their half-year and will consider after 6 months or explain why you can't appoint them.

Keep an open mind because it may provide you with good entry-level trainees who could stay on if you like their work. It is not necessary by law to absorb them after the end of the apprentice period. They cannot leave for a year, many are sincere, and the apprentice stipend is a very small amount. You may find it actually beneficial.

Hi Saswata Banerjee, Thank you for your reply. I will call them to inquire about it.

Regards, Shailja-HR