Himachal to launch apprenticeship-embedded degree programmes in 16 government colleges

The Higher Education Department in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday signed a deal to implement Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programmes (AEDPs) in 16 government degree colleges from the academic session 2026-27. It signed an MoU with the Board of Apprenticeship Training (Northern Region), Kanpur (BOAT-NR) in the presence of Education Minister Rohit Thakur.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that the initiative aims to bridge the gap between classroom education and industry requirements by providing students with practical workplace experience along with a recognised undergraduate degree. Thakur said that the state government is laying special emphasis on skill-based education and strengthening employment opportunities for the youth. He said that under the AEDPs, students would pursue industry-orientated degree programmes in banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), logistics and retail operations management.

"The programmes combine academic learning with a mandatory apprenticeship component of at least six months in an industry, with students being provided a minimum guaranteed stipend of Rs 10,900 per month. The programme will provide students an opportunity to gain practical workplace experience alongside their academic studies and develop skills relevant to industry requirements," he said.

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AEDP courses approved

The minister said that five AEDP courses have been approved for implementation, while the first phase has commenced with three programmes -- BCom in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance; BCom in Retail Operations Management and BCom in Logistics. BCom BFSI is being offered in 11 colleges, BCom retail operations management in two colleges and BCom logistics in three colleges.

"In the first year of implementation, 16 government degree colleges have commenced AEDPs with 685 students enrolled across the three programmes and more will be enrolled in the coming years. The initiative is being supported through collaboration among colleges, universities, BOAT-NR and CRISP for industry linkages, apprenticeship opportunities, training and placement support," the minister said.

"Himachal Pradesh is the third state in the country after Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to implement such apprenticeship-embedded degree programmes. The encouraging response to AEDPs will encourage the department to consider extending the programmes to more colleges in the coming years. "The possibility of introducing apprenticeship-embedded programmes in other undergraduate streams such as BA and BSc will also be examined to provide more students access to skill-based education," he said.