Kolkata, September 8, 2025: The Board of Practical Training, Eastern Region (BOPT ER) is delighted to announce the successful celebration of Regional Apprenticeship Day 2025, held at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in Kolkata. This event aimed to recognize and honor the remarkable contributions of apprentices and establishments in skill development under the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS).
The Chief Guest graced the occasion, was Shri Baidyanath Yadav Retd. IAS, Advisor, Education Department, Govt. of Bihar, Shri R.N. Lahiri, Director, Tata International Batanagar, Prof. Dilip Kumar Baidya, Director, NIT-Silchar alongside other esteemed guests.
For over 50 years, BOPT(ER) has been a cornerstone in the Eastern Region, facilitating apprenticeship training to freshly graduated students and diploma holders across more than 3,000 establishments. BOPT(ER) mission has been to develop skilled manpower, making graduates more employable in today’s modern job market. In the FY 2024-25, the Board of Practical Training (Eastern Region) BOPT(ER) has set new standards in skill development by training over 133,836 apprentices and disbursing more than Rs.264 crore in stipends.
“For over five decades, BOPT (ER) has been working tirelessly to empower graduates and diploma holders with industry-ready skills. The success of Regional Apprenticeship Day 2025 is a testament to the collective effort of our partner institutions, industries, and apprentices. With initiatives like ‘NATS on Reels’ and our focus on emerging sectors such as AI and Healthcare, we are committed to making India a global hub of skilled talent and ensuring that our youth are future-ready”, said Dr. S.M. Ejaz Ahmad, Director, BOPT(ER).
Mr. Siddharth Ray from Tata Steel was selected the Apprentice Of The Year while Oil India Limited, Assam was recognised as the Establishment Of The Year and NSHM Knowledge Campus, Durgapur, West Bengal received the Institution Of The Year award.
The Regional Apprenticeship Days showed congregation of stalwarts from industries, Institutes, Apprentices and other NATS stakeholders at Vishwa Bangla Convention Centre on 6th September, 2025. The comprehensive program featured a keynote address by Dr. S.M. Ejaz Ahmad, Director, BOPT(ER), followed by NATS journey video, new NATS theme song, award ceremonies recognizing Establishment of the year, Intuition of the year and apprentice of the year, felicitation of establishments and TPAs with outstanding contribution to NATS. Presentations on the Assessment and Creditisation of Apprentices under NATS were also a highlight where apprentices participated in NATS Assessment and Creditisation were awarded with Certificates.
BOPT(ER) extended a warm welcome to Vice Chancellors, Principals, TPA Partners, award nominees, apprentices, graduating students, and respected Members of the Board of Governors of BOPT (ER) and were equally delighted to acknowledge representatives from leading industries such as IBM, Infosys, Wipro, HDFC Bank, Bandhan Bank, Coal India Limited, and many others.
The event also marked the launch of the “NATS on Reels” competition, an exciting initiative aimed at engaging the youth of India through creative platforms like Instagram and YouTube. Participants are invited to create captivating reels that underscore the significance of NATS, promote employment enhancement, and highlight the value of skill development.
For the upcoming year, BOPT(ER) is poised to further leverage partnerships with Higher Education Institutions, explore emerging sectors like AI and Healthcare, and focus on employment tracking for sustained impact. With the Government of India’s support, we aim to train 15 lakh+ students between 2021 and 2026.
Regional Apprenticeship Day 2025 culminated in addresses by notable guests and concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Shri K.N. Mishra, Administrative-cum-Accounts Officer at BOPT(ER). RAD 2025 reflects BOPT’s unwavering commitment to transforming India into a global “Skill Capital” and fostering a future rich in skill development and employment opportunities.