Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS)

What is the Craftsmen Training Scheme?

The Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) is the vocational training programme of the Directorate General of Training (DGT) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. CTS was introduced by the Government of India in 1950 and is delivered through the country's network of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).

According to the DGT, CTS was created to ensure the quick availability of skilled workers in different trades for domestic industry, to raise industrial production quantitatively and qualitatively through systematic training, to reduce unemployment among educated youth by giving them employable skills, and to cultivate a technical and industrial perspective among the younger generation.

Key objectives

• Supply industry with a steady flow of trained craftspeople across engineering and non-engineering trades.
• Give school-leavers an employable skill within one or two years.
• Standardise training quality nationally through a common syllabus and a common examination.
• Create a certified qualification, the National Trade Certificate, that employers across states recognise.

Main features

• Delivered through 14,643 ITIs, 3,331 government and 11,312 private; spread across every state and union territory.
• 26.58 lakh trainees enrolled in one-year and two-year trades.
• 169 NSQF-compliant trades on offer.
• Training session starts on 1 August every year.
• Successful trainees receive the National Trade Certificate from the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT).

The 169 NSQF-compliant trades split into 86 engineering trades, 78 non-engineering trades and 5 courses designed for persons with disabilities, according to the DGT. Engineering trades: Electrician, Fitter, Turner, Machinist, Draughtsman and Mechanic (Motor Vehicle) among them; mostly run for two years, while many non-engineering trades such as Stenographer, Computer Operator and Programming Assistant, and Dress Making run for one year. Each trade's duration and entry qualification are fixed nationally in the DGT trade syllabus, so the same trade carries the same content and the same certificate value in every state.

Vocational training is a concurrent subject. The Central Government sets national training policy, standards, syllabi, examinations and certification; state governments handle day-to-day ITI administration and admissions.

Who is eligible for the Craftsmen Training Scheme?

You can join if:

• You have passed class 10, the entry qualification for most CTS trades.
• Or you have passed class 8, which is accepted for a smaller set of trades such as Dress Making.
• You meet the minimum age of 14 years prescribed for ITI admission.
• You meet any additional trade-specific requirement, such as physical or vision standards for a few technical trades.

You are not eligible if:

• You have not completed the minimum educational qualification for the trade you are applying to. A class 8 pass candidate cannot join a class 10 entry trade.
• You are below the minimum age of 14 years.
• You cannot meet a trade-specific physical requirement, where the trade syllabus prescribes one.

CTS is a training scheme, not a cash transfer. There is no income ceiling, no BPL requirement and no bank-seeding step, because no money is paid to a trainee under the scheme itself. Some state governments and central scholarship schemes separately provide stipends or fee concessions to ITI trainees, but those are distinct programmes with their own eligibility rules.

What documents are required for ITI admission under CTS?

Exact document lists are notified by each state's admission authority, so check your state's ITI admission notification before applying.

How to apply for admission under the Craftsmen Training Scheme

1. Watch for the ITI admission notification issued by your state's Directorate of Technical Education or Skill Development, usually in the months before the 1 August session start.
2. Register on the state ITI admission portal with your name, date of birth, mobile number and email as they appear on your school records.
3. Fill the application form and enter your class 10 or class 8 marks, which are the basis on which merit is calculated in most states.
4. Choose your trade and institute preferences. Check the trade duration: one year or two years — and the entry qualification for each option before locking your choices.
5. Upload your marksheet, date of birth proof, Aadhaar and, if applicable, caste and domicile certificates, then pay the application fee.
6. Wait for the merit list and seat allotment, published on the same state portal in rounds.
7. Report to the allotted ITI with original documents for verification, pay the institute fee and complete admission.
8. Confirm that your trainee record appears on the NCVT MIS portal: your National Trade Certificate at the end of the course depends on this record being correct.

Offline admission at the institute counter is available at many ITIs, especially private ones, but the state's online portal is the primary route in most states.

What does the Craftsmen Training Scheme provide?

CTS provides training and certification, not a cash benefit. There is no scheme entitlement paid to a trainee's bank account.

What a trainee receives is:

• One or two years of structured training in a trade, using a syllabus laid down by the DGT.
• Employability Skills training, which the DGT prescribes alongside the trade syllabus.
• Access to a nationally recognised final examination conducted by NCVT.
• The National Trade Certificate on passing, which employers across India recognise.
• Progression routes, CTS graduates can move into apprenticeship training, and the DGT publishes educational-equivalency and career-progression pathways for ITI passouts.

Government ITIs charge a low, state-notified fee; private ITIs set their own fees. Because these vary by state and institute, no single national fee figure can be quoted.

How to check your CTS admission and result status

1. Log in to your state ITI admission portal with your application number to see the merit list position and seat allotment round.
2. Use the NCVT MIS portal to check your trainee registration and, later, your examination results and certificate status.
3. Contact the ITI principal's office if your trainee record or marks are missing from NCVT MIS; corrections are made by the institute, not by the trainee.

Common reasons CTS admissions run into trouble

• Trade entry qualification mismatch; applying to a class 10 trade with a class 8 pass.
• Merit rank too low for the chosen institute and trade combination.
• Documents not verified at the reporting stage, so the allotted seat lapses.
• Trainee not registered on NCVT MIS, which blocks the examination and the certificate later.
• Missing the reporting deadline after seat allotment.

Help and grievance redressal

• DGT exam helpdesk: 011-26772753, or email helpdesk-ctsexam@dgt.gov.in for examination-related grievances.
• NCVT MIS service desk, for trainee registration, marks and certificate issues.
• State Directorate of Technical Education / Skill Development, for admission, merit list and seat allotment grievances.
• ITI principal, the first point of contact for anything on the institute record.

Admission under CTS is decided by merit through the state admission process. No agent can secure an ITI seat for a fee, and no payment outside the notified institute fee should be made to anyone.