New Delhi: The government is con- sidering a slew of measures to boost apprenticeship training through mil- lions of micro, small and medium en- terprises in India, as it seeks to create a large pool of skilled workforce in the country.

These measures include reducing the tenure of apprenticeship from six months to three months, raising sti- pend subsidy for MSMEs to 50% from 25%, doling out tax incentives to MSMES for hiring apprentices and roping in the private sector for pro- viding manpower to MSMEs that of- ten face staff shortage, a senior gov- ernment official, aware of the delib- erations, told ET.

Depending on the fiscal burden on the exchequer, the government could either tweak the existing apprentice- ship schemes or draft a new scheme dedicated to MSMEs, which account for 38.4% of the total manufacturing output and contribute 45.03% of the country’s total exports