Northeast Frontier Railway has opened one of its largest apprenticeship intakes in recent years, with 6777 training slots spread across eight units — from the workshops of Katihar and Dibrugarh to the divisional yards of Lumding and Tinsukia. For ITI-qualified candidates across the Northeast, this is a rare chance to train directly inside Indian Railways' technical ecosystem under the Apprentices Act, 1961.

Unlike a regular recruitment exam, there is no written test here. Selection runs purely on academic merit — a blend of Matriculation and ITI trade marks — combined with the Unit-Department-Trade preference each candidate lists in their application. Getting that preference order right matters just as much as the marksheet itself.

Unit-Wise Slot Distribution

Lumding carries the single largest allocation this year, followed closely by Katihar-Tindharia and Tinsukia. Candidates should weigh location alongside trade availability when ranking their preferences.

Unit / Division	Total Slots
Katihar (KIR) & Tindharia (TDH) Workshop	1103
Alipurduar (APDJ)	651
Rangiya (RNY)	750
Lumding (LMG)	1274
Tinsukia (TSK)	860
New Bongaigaon Workshop & Engineering Workshop	881
Dibrugarh Workshop (DBWS)	763
Headquarters, Maligaon (HQ)	495
Total	6777

*Figures are provisional and may be revised at the time of final selection.

Who Can Apply

Most trades require a Matriculation pass with at least 50% aggregate marks, along with a National Trade Certificate (NTC) or Provisional Certificate in the relevant ITI trade issued by NCVT or SCVT. This 50% threshold is waived for SC/ST/PwBD candidates. The two Medical Laboratory Technician trades follow a different path entirely — they require a Class 12 pass with Physics, Chemistry and Biology instead of an ITI qualification.

Category	Age Relaxation Beyond 15–24 Years
SC / ST	+5 Years
OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)	+3 Years
PwBD	+10 Years
Ex-Servicemen	+10 Years (service rendered) + 3 Years

Stipend During Training

Apprentices are not railway employees and draw a fixed monthly stipend rather than a salary, with the rate stepping up for candidates who qualify for institutional-training exemption in later years.

Training Stage	Monthly Stipend
Standard Rate (NTC/STC holders)	Rs. 9,600
With 1-year institutional exemption	Rs. 10,560
With 2-year institutional exemption	Rs. 11,040

No hostel accommodation is provided; apprentices must arrange their own stay during the training period.

How Selection Works

It's worth remembering that this is a training engagement, not a job guarantee — the Apprentices Act does not obligate Indian Railways to offer employment once training ends. That said, course-completed apprentices do get a preference edge later on, with 20% of entry-level Group D (Level-1) vacancies reserved for candidates holding a National Apprenticeship Certificate who also clear the qualifying marks in the relevant written exam. For candidates in the Northeast looking to get a foot inside Indian Railways' technical trades, this notification is very much worth the application.

Disclaimer: Based on NFR Notification No. NFR/NAPS/ACT APP./2026. Candidates should verify the latest details on the official NFR website before applying.