Data analyst, engineering roles most popular for apprentices: Study

Nearly eight out of ten employers are foreseeing an increase in their apprentice intake in the fourth quarter of 2023 (January to March) versus 77% employers in the previous half-year (Jul-Dec 2022), said a study by the TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship programme published on Monday. The study based on the 'Apprenticeship Outlook Report' added that data analysts and engineering roles, such as electronics, electrical and industrial, have become the most popular for apprentices in the current quarter and will continue to be some of the most sought-after job roles in the coming quarters.   

The degree apprenticeship programme is offered by the consulting agency through a public private partnership with the TeamLease Skills University (TLSU), Ministry of Education, Ministry of Skill Development and industry bodies.

The study that surveyed nearly 600 employers and analysed hiring in 14 cities and 24 sectors showed said that the overall Net Apprenticeship Outlook (NAO), which is an analysis of employers willing to increase minus employers willing to decrease, however, has witnessed a marginal dip of 3% in the current quarter, compared to the previous half-year (Jul-Dec 2022).  

For example, four out of six key industries in focus witness a decline in NAO in the current quarter (Jan-Mar 2023) as compared to Jul-Dec 2022.  

The top two industries include IT/ITeS, where 16% of the employers foresee a decrease in the engagement of apprentices, (9% in Jul-Dec 2022) and 11% of employers from banking financial services and insurances (BFSI) foreseeing a decrease (5% in Jul-Dec 2022). This report also stated that this is primarily due to a higher number of employers foreseeing a decrease (13% up from 9%), which is driven by regulatory uncertainty around certain programs & macro-economic headwinds.   

Nonetheless, the report showed a steady surge in the engagement of apprentices in key industries, such as engineering and industrial topping the list with the highest NAO (90%), electrical & electronics (88%) and BFSI (74%). 94% of employers in engineering & industrial, 93% in electrical & electronics and 85% in BFSI are willing to increase their apprentice engagement. 

Notably, more employers (about 37%) are willing to increase their intake due to the fact that apprentices are real time skilled talent available in the market. Additionally, 23% of employers feel that apprentices also help to unlock business growth opportunities.  

The report further showed that Hyderabad (78%), Delhi (74%), Bengaluru (68%), among metros top their apprenticeship intake among metros and Coimbatore (79%), Nagpur (76%) Pune (76%) and Ahmedabad (70%) lead among non-metro cities, further, large-size businesses have the highest NAO (69%, up from 65% in July-Dec 2022), whereas SMEs have witnessed a drop (64%, down from 71%).  

“With a massive investment of ₹3,517.31 crore, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has allocated funds to a number of skill development initiatives that will improve youth employability and boost job opportunities. Apprenticeships are a significant part of this talent strategy,” Dhriti Prasanna Mahanta, Business Head — Services, TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, said.  

The TeamLease report, however, said that for India to scale to its true potential of 10 million apprentices in 10 years and apprenticeship to the next level, organisations will have to scale up their efforts, in order to stay ahead of unprecedented challenges.