RailTel Apprenticeship 2026 Notification: Stipend, Eligibility and NATS Application Guide
Fresh engineering graduates and diploma holders often struggle with the same problem — every job asks for experience, and nobody gives it. RailTel Corporation of India Limited, the Ministry of Railways PSU that owns a pan-India optic fibre network along the railway tracks, has opened 40 apprenticeship positions to solve exactly that. Selected apprentices get a monthly stipend of ₹14,000 for Graduate Engineers and ₹12,000 for Diploma Engineers, with no application fee mentioned anywhere in the notification. For anyone tracking PSU job notifications, this is a clean, low-cost entry into the railway telecom sector.
Applications are submitted online through the NATS 2.0 portal and must reach RailTel by 27 August 2026. The engagement runs for one year and covers locations across the country, from New Delhi and Kolkata to Secunderabad, Mumbai and Guwahati. There are some strict eligibility bars — on experience, on how long ago you graduated and on distance-learning degrees — so read the eligibility section carefully. GovtJobsAlert.in has explained each one in plain language below.
Key Highlights of RailTel Apprentice Recruitment 2026
RailTel Corporation of India Limited is a Government of India PSU under the Ministry of Railways. The notification describes RailTel as one of the largest neutral telecom infrastructure providers in the country, owning a pan-India optic fibre network. An apprenticeship here means hands-on exposure to real telecom and network operations — the kind of experience that makes your first proper job interview much easier. Do note that this is training under the Apprentices Act, 1961, not regular employment, and it creates no claim to a job at RailTel.
- Post Names: Graduate Apprentice (Graduate Engineers) and Diploma Apprentice (Diploma Engineers)
- Total Vacancies: 40
- Monthly Stipend: ₹14,000 for Graduate Engineers and ₹12,000 for Diploma Engineers
- Duration of Training: 1 year
- Job Location: Pan India, across Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western regions
- Application Mode: Online through the NATS 2.0 portal
- Last Date to Apply: 27 August 2026
RailTel Apprentice 2026 Vacancy Breakdown: Post-wise Details
The 40 positions are split between two apprentice categories, both drawn from the same set of engineering disciplines.
| Apprentice Category | Stipend Per Month | Vacancies |
|---|---|---|
| Graduate Apprentice (Graduate Engineers) | ₹14,000 | 32 |
| Diploma Apprentice (Diploma Engineers) | ₹12,000 | 8 |
| Total | — | 40 |
Reservation is applied as prescribed in the Apprentices Act, 1961 and the Apprenticeship Rules, 1992. If candidates are not available in a reserved category, the position may be filled from other reserved or general categories. No category-wise vacancy break-up has been published. RailTel has also stated that the numbers and locations shown are only indicative and may change without further notification.
What is the Eligibility Criteria for RailTel Apprentice 2026?
This is where most applications get rejected, so go through every point below before you apply.
Educational Qualification
- Graduate Apprentice: a full-time regular four-year Graduation in Engineering or Technology from an AICTE-approved college, with aggregate 60% marks
- Diploma Apprentice: a full-time regular three-year Diploma in Engineering or Technology from an AICTE-approved college, with aggregate 60% marks
The eligible branches for both categories are:
- Electronics & Telecommunication
- Telecommunication
- Computer Science & Engineering
- Information Technology
- Electrical Engineering
- Electronics Engineering
- Any other combination of engineering branches where Electronics is one of the main branches, such as Electronics & Instrumentation
Candidates may alternatively qualify by having passed Sections A and B of the Institution Examinations of the Institution of Engineers (India) in the above branches, or the Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (India). Similar openings are listed on our engineering government jobs and diploma government jobs pages.
Who is NOT Eligible
- Anyone with one year or more of training, job or work experience after obtaining the qualification
- Anyone who has completed three years after their graduation or diploma
- Anyone who has already completed an apprenticeship, terminated one mid-way, or is currently pursuing an apprenticeship with another organisation
- Anyone holding the qualification through distance learning or part-time mode
Age Limit
The age limit is 18 to 27 years, reckoned as on the notification date of 28 July 2026.
| Category | Age Relaxation |
|---|---|
| SC, ST and OBC | As per the Presidential and Government directives |
🎂 Not sure if you meet the age criteria? Use our free Age Calculator for Government Exams to find your exact age on the cut-off date and instantly check your eligibility — including SC / ST / OBC / PwBD age relaxation. →
The notification does not print the specific number of relaxation years for each category — it simply refers to the applicable Government directives.
What is the Stipend and Salary for RailTel Apprentice 2026?
RailTel has published the exact stipend split, showing how much comes from the company and how much from the Government’s Direct Benefit Transfer scheme.
- Graduate Apprentice: ₹14,000 per month — RailTel share ₹9,500 and Government DBT share ₹4,500
- Diploma Apprentice: ₹12,000 per month — RailTel share ₹8,000 and Government DBT share ₹4,000
Graduate Engineers draw a consolidated stipend of ₹14,000 per month and Diploma Engineers ₹12,000 per month, for the full one-year training period.
Be clear on one point before you apply: the apprentice is not entitled to any other benefit, facility or allowance apart from the consolidated stipend. There is no accommodation, transport or medical allowance attached, and the apprenticeship carries no right to claim regular employment at RailTel at any point of time.
What is the Selection Process for RailTel Apprentice Recruitment 2026?
The notification does not mention any written examination — shortlisting is based on a merit list of your qualifying marks, with an interview if required.
Stage 1: Online Application through NATS
Every application must come through the NATS 2.0 portal by the last date. No other mode of application is entertained in any circumstance.
Stage 2: Merit List Preparation
On receipt of applications, a merit list is prepared region, state and location wise. Preference is given to candidates who passed out from Government institutions.
Stage 3: Shortlisting
Candidates are shortlisted on the basis of the merit list prepared from the marks obtained in the required qualification, and through an interview if required. The interview stage is conditional, so prepare for it but do not assume it will be held.
Stage 4: Verification of Certificates
Candidature remains provisional and is subject to verification of certificates and testimonials at any stage of the process.
Stage 5: Medical Fitness
Only candidates found medically fit as per the Corporation’s norms are engaged. Meeting the eligibility criteria alone does not assure engagement, and filling the positions is at the discretion of the management.
How to Apply for RailTel Apprentice 2026 Online Through NATS Portal?
Applications are accepted online through the NATS 2.0 portal only. Before you begin, keep your degree or diploma certificate, mark sheets showing your aggregate percentage, and the signed undertaking ready as scanned files.
- Register yourself on the NATS 2.0 portal first if you are not already registered (link in Essential Links below).
- Log in and search for the RailTel apprenticeship position under the relevant establishment.
- Follow the process given in the student manual of NATS Apprentice available on the portal.
- Fill in your personal, educational and location preference details carefully.
- Upload the certificate showing your CGPA or percentage in the Upload Certificate column.
- If your certificate shows only CGPA, also upload the CGPA to percentage conversion formula or certificate.
- Combine the conversion certificate with the signed Annexure-I undertaking into a single PDF file of less than 1 MB and upload it.
- Submit the application and ensure it is received online through the portal on or before 27 August 2026.
The Annexure-I undertaking is mandatory — it is your declaration that the information is true, that you have not done a previous apprenticeship, and that you are medically fit. Applications without it risk rejection. You can follow more railway sector job updates on our site while your application is processed.
What are the Important Dates for RailTel Apprentice 2026?
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notification Released | 28 July 2026 |
| Age Reckoning Date | 28 July 2026 |
| Last Date to Apply Online via NATS | 27 August 2026 |
The notification does not announce separate shortlisting, interview or joining dates. Shortlisted candidates are contacted directly, so keep the mobile number and e-mail ID used in your NATS profile active.
RailTel Apprentice 2026 Application Fees
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| All Categories | No Fee |
The notification does not prescribe any application fee anywhere across its pages, and apprenticeship applications through the NATS portal are normally free of charge. Since no fee clause, payment mode or challan is mentioned, no payment is required to apply.
Essential Links for RailTel Apprentice Recruitment 2026
- Download Official Notification PDF
- Apply Online for RailTel Apprentice 2026 via NATS Portal
- Visit RailTel Official Website
- Join WhatsApp Channel for Government Jobs
- Join Telegram Channel for Government Jobs
A year inside a Ministry of Railways PSU, a ₹14,000 monthly stipend and no application fee — for a fresh engineer or diploma holder, the cost of applying is only your time. If you finished your course within the last three years and have not done an apprenticeship before, register on NATS today and submit well before 27 August 2026. Keep visiting GovtJobsAlert.in for more PSU and railway job notifications.