Overlap or Complementarity? A Conceptual Review of India's Work-Based Learning Schemes with Reference to Apprenticeship and Internship Policies

SANTOSH KUMAR MOHAPATRA

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.84237

Overlap or Complementarity? A Conceptual Review of India's Work-Based Learning Schemes with Reference to Apprenticeship and Internship Policies

Author(s)	Mr. SANTOSH KUMAR MOHAPATRA
Country	India
Abstract	India is expanding two major work-based learning programmes at the same time: the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS-2) and the Prime Minister's Internship Scheme (PMIS). This paper examines both schemes closely and asks whether they work together or work against each other. The paper draws on Human Capital Theory and Signaling Theory to examine a key change in 2026, the PMIS stipend being raised to Rs. 9,000 a month (Rs. 8,100 from the government and Rs. 900 from the hiring company), a level that now matches the base stipend offered under NAPS-2. This “stipend parity” is found to meet the short-term financial needs of young people, but it may also push them toward shorter, easier internships instead of longer, more rigorous apprenticeships. This is described in the paper as a possible “scheme substitution” effect. The paper also identifies a “coherence gap”: apprenticeship and internship records are kept on separate digital portals, and there is no shared credit system linking the two. As a result, an internship rarely leads to a certified apprenticeship and usually ends where it started. The paper closes with practical suggestions for connecting the two schemes through a shared credit framework, so that India's work-based learning system can support long-term skill building rather than short-term stipend seeking.
Keywords	NAPS-2, PMIS, work based learning, policy coherence, national credit framework, youth employability
Field	Sociology > Administration / Law / Management
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On	2026-07-21
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.84237

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Overlap or Complementarity? A Conceptual Review of India's Work-Based Learning Schemes with Reference to Apprenticeship and Internship Policies

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