East Coast Railway Apprentice Vacancy 2026 — 1,599 ITI Trade Openings in Odisha
East Coast Railway is engaging 1,599 Act Apprentices through the Railway Recruitment Cell, Bhubaneswar. This is training under the Apprentices Act, 1961 with no claim to Railway employment afterwards — not a regular railway job. You need 10th class with 50% marks, an ITI certificate in the trade, and an age of 15 to 24 years as on 15 September 2026. Trades include Fitter, Welder, Electrician, Machinist, Carpenter and Mason, and the notification prescribes no written test or viva.
Online applications open on 26 August 2026 and close on 15 September 2026 at 5:00 PM, so you get about three weeks. The fee is only ₹100, and women, SC, ST and PwBD candidates pay nothing at all. Below you will find the division-wise vacancy split, eligibility, the age limit, the honest truth about the stipend, the selection method and a step-by-step application guide. GovtJobsAlert.in will keep updating this page.
Key Highlights — RRC ECoR Act Apprentice Recruitment 2026
The National Apprenticeship Certificate you earn at the end is a strong start for ITI holders looking for government work.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Organisation | East Coast Railway, RRC Bhubaneswar |
| Post Name | Act Apprentice, 25 designated trades |
| Total Vacancies | 1,599 (provisional, liable to increase or decrease) |
| Minimum Qualification | 10th pass with 50% marks plus ITI in the relevant trade |
| Selection | Merit in Matriculation marks, no exam, no interview |
| Stipend | Prescribed Railway Board rate, amount not printed |
| Job Location | Odisha, ECoR divisions and workshop |
| Application Window | 26 August to 15 September 2026 |
| Contract of Apprenticeship | Signed before training begins; for a minor, the guardian signs it |
Vacancy Breakdown — RRC ECoR Apprentice 2026
The 1,599 slots are spread across three divisions, one workshop and the zonal headquarters. You may choose only one division or workshop, and that option once exercised is final and binding.
| Division or Workshop | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Khurda Road Division | 773 |
| Rayagada (RGDA) Division | 292 |
| Sambalpur Division | 262 |
| Carriage Repair Workshop, Mancheswar | 250 |
| Headquarters, ECoR Bhubaneswar | 22 |
| Total | 1,599 |
Warning — most trades exist in only one or two units. Check the trade-wise annexure of the notification that your trade actually has slots in the unit you choose, because the choice is final.
| Trade | Where the Trade Has Slots |
|---|---|
| Turner, Draftsman (Mechanic) | Khurda Road, 6 and 2 slots |
| Bridge Erector | Khurda Road, 90 slots |
| Sheet Metal Worker, Mechanic (Motor Vehicle) | Mancheswar, 20 and 10 slots |
| Grinder, Driller | Rayagada, 36 slots each |
| Secretarial Assistant (Stenography) | Headquarters, 10 slots |
| Painter | Mancheswar, Rayagada, Sambalpur — no slots at Khurda Road |
Community-wise reservation is below. Horizontal reservation is prescribed at 4% for PwBD and 3% for Ex-Servicemen; Annexure-A earmarks 50 PwBD and 42 Ex-Servicemen slots, both counted inside the 1,599 rather than added to it.
| Category | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| UR | 633 |
| OBC | 435 |
| SC | 251 |
| EWS | 164 |
| ST | 116 |
Eligibility Criteria — RRC ECoR Act Apprentice 2026
Educational Qualification
You must already hold the prescribed qualification as on the notification date, 21 August 2026.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Matriculation (10th) | Passed under the 10+2 system with minimum 50% aggregate marks from a recognised board |
| Trade certificate | ITI certificate or National Trade Certificate in the relevant trade, approved by NCVT or SCVT |
| Laboratory Technician (Pathology) | 12th pass with Physics, Chemistry and Biology, plus 50% marks in both 10th and 12th |
| Secretarial Assistant (Stenography) | National Trade Certificate approved by NCVT or SCVT |
| COPA | Board-based basic IT-sector training under the Centre of Excellence scheme in repair and maintenance of computer hardware and peripherals, or of computer networking, plus the NTC |
| Not eligible | Engineering graduates and diploma holders, candidates whose 10th or ITI result is awaited, and candidates who failed in ITI — if one is inadvertently engaged, the apprenticeship is terminated immediately |
For a 10th pass candidate looking for government jobs, that ITI certificate is the single document this recruitment turns on.
Age Limit
Your age is counted as on 15 September 2026, the closing date, and the base limit is 15 to 24 years.
| Category | Relaxation in Upper Age Limit |
|---|---|
| General (base limit 15–24 years) | Nil |
| OBC | 3 years |
| SC, ST | 5 years |
| PwBD | 10 years |
🎂 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. →
| Claiming | Condition | Must Upload |
|---|---|---|
| Ex-Servicemen quota | Covers five groups — children of deceased or disabled Ex-Servicemen including those killed or disabled in peacetime, children of Ex-Servicemen, children of serving Jawans, children of serving Officers, and Ex-Servicemen | Discharge Certificate of the Ex-Serviceman, or the Discharge or Serving Certificate of the parent where the claim is as a child |
| Ex-Servicemen age relaxation | Up to 10 additional years — service rendered plus 3 years, minimum 6 months at a stretch. For the Ex-Serviceman applying for himself only; children of Ex-Servicemen get relaxation as per their own community | Discharge Certificate |
| SC, ST | Certificate must be in the prescribed Central Government format, issued by the competent authority | Caste Certificate |
| OBC | Non-Creamy-Layer certificate issued on or after 1 April 2026, plus a mandatorily filled Non-Creamy-Layer self-declaration in the prescribed proforma | Both the certificate and the self-declaration |
| EWS | Family gross annual income below ₹8 lakh, certificate valid as on the closing date | Income and Asset Certificate in the prescribed format |
| PwBD | Each trade admits only specified disability types — see the trade-wise table below before choosing | Disability Certificate |
| Any reserved category | If SC slots go unfilled they pass to ST candidates and vice versa; anything still unfilled under SC, ST, OBC or EWS passes to Unreserved candidates, and unfilled Ex-Servicemen slots are made good from other candidates | — |
Fail to produce the prescribed community certificate and you are considered as General (UR) only, if otherwise eligible; an application missing a required annexure is rejected outright.
Permissible Disability by Trade — PwBD Applicants
| Trade | Disabilities Permitted |
|---|---|
| Fitter | LD, LC, DW, AA, LV, D |
| Welder | LD, LC, DW, AA, LV, D |
| Electrician | LD, LC, DW, AA, D, HH |
| Wireman | LD, LC, DW, AA, D, HH |
| Black Smith | LD, LC, DW, AA, D, HH |
| Grinder | LD, LC, DW, AA, D, LV |
| Driller | LD, LC, DW, AA, LV, D |
| Plumber | LD, LC, DW, AA, LV, D |
| Sheet Metal Worker | LD only |
| Painter | LD, CP, LC, DW, AA, LV, D, HH, AUTISM, ID, SLD, MI |
| Carpenter | LD, CP, LC, DW, AA, LV, D, HH, AUTISM, ID, SLD |
| Draftsman (Civil) | LD, CP, LC, DW, AA, LV, D, HH, AUTISM, SLD, MD |
| Mason | LD, CP, LC, DW, AA, LV, D, AUTISM, SLD, MD |
| Any trade not listed above | No PwBD slot under this notification |
| Abbreviations | LD Locomotor Disability, CP Cerebral Palsy, LC Leprosy Cured, DW Dwarfism, AA Acid Attack, LV Low Vision, D Deaf, HH Hard of Hearing, ID Intellectual Disability, SLD Speech and Language Disability, MD Multiple Disabilities, MI Mental Illness |
What is the Salary and Stipend for RRC ECoR Act Apprentice 2026?
The notification prints no rupee figure for the stipend — only that apprentices are paid at the prescribed rate during training, as directed by the Railway Board from time to time. Ignore any website quoting an exact amount. The ₹18,000 – ₹56,900 figure you may see is the Level-1 pay scale for future open-market railway recruitment, not your stipend.
| Item | What the Notification Says |
|---|---|
| Apprentice stipend | Prescribed Railway Board rate, no amount stated |
| Pay scale ₹18,000 – ₹56,900 | Future open-market Level-1 railway posts only |
| NAC plus CCAA preference | Up to 20% of those Level-1 vacancies, subject to meeting the RRB or RRC eligibility criteria then prescribed |
| Hostel accommodation | Not provided |
| TA or DA for document verification | Not paid |
| Job after training | No claim to Railway employment |
| Certificate of Proficiency | Granted by the National Council only on passing a proficiency test at the end of training |
| Wilful absence from training | Liable to refund the entire cost of training plus all stipend paid |
| Breaking the apprenticeship contract | Apprentice or surety pays an amount equal to three months’ last-drawn stipend |
| If the employer breaks the contract | Employer pays the apprentice compensation equal to three months’ last-drawn stipend |
| Withdrawing from training | Not permitted once selected, except for reasons beyond your control |
| Contract registration | Must reach the Apprenticeship Adviser within three months of the date of signing |
What is the Selection Process for RRC ECoR Act Apprentice 2026?
This is the part students love most — there is no written test and no interview. Everything rides on your 10th marksheet.
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Online application | Submit on the RRC Bhubaneswar portal within the deadline |
| 2. Merit list | Drawn solely on the percentage of Matriculation marks; all subjects counted, “best of five” not allowed, CGPA converted to a percentage |
| 3. Trade-wise lists | Separate trade-wise and community-wise merit lists, drawn on your order of preference of Unit, Department and Trade. You are considered for only one combination, and once you are selected against a higher preference every lower preference is automatically cancelled |
| 4. Document Verification | At Railway Recruitment Cell, Bhubaneswar with all original certificates and the Medical Fitness Certificate in the prescribed format (printed as Annexure F on page 18; page 4 of the notification mis-refers to it as Annexure G) — get it signed by a government-authorised gazetted doctor not below the rank of Assistant Surgeon and carry it to DV, it is not obtained afterwards |
| 5. Standby list | Used only against absentees, medically unfit or rejected candidates, strictly in order of merit |
| Tie-break | Older candidate first; if the date of birth also matches, whoever passed Matriculation earlier |
Check your percentage calculation twice — any mismatch with the original marksheet at verification means summary rejection. The prescribed medical standards are below.
| Medical Standard | Minimum Required |
|---|---|
| Height, weight | 137 cm, 25.4 kg |
| Chest expansion | Not less than 3.8 cm |
| Vision | 6/9 and 6/12 with or without glasses, plus binocular vision and colour vision |
| Hearing | Good in both ears, no hearing aid permitted |
| Blood pressure | Must not exceed 140 systolic and 85 diastolic; systolic below 100 is a rejection |
| General health | Free from contagious or infectious disease and from tuberculosis in any form, active or healed |
| Alimentary system | Enough natural teeth for mastication, no palpably enlarged spleen or tender liver, no oral sepsis, no sugar in urine, no haemorrhoids, fissure, hernia or hydrocele |
| Other systems | Skin, speech, respiratory, genito-urinary, skeletal, nervous and glandular systems must all be free of disease or serious deformity — Annexure F lists 14 standards in all |
How to Apply Online for RRC ECoR Act Apprentice 2026?
Applications are accepted online only on the RRC Bhubaneswar portal (link given in Essential Links below). No hard copy is to be posted anywhere.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Create a personal email ID that will stay active throughout, then register and log in — the registered email ID and mobile number must not be changed at any later stage |
| 2 | Fill in personal details, trade, Aadhaar number (the 28-digit Enrolment ID if the card has not arrived; the original Aadhaar must be produced at DV), Matriculation marks or CGPA, and your single division or workshop choice |
| 3 | Make sure your name, father’s name and date of birth match the Matriculation certificate exactly — a discrepancy found at DV can mean cancellation of candidature and debarment |
| 4 | Upload a colour photo (3.5 cm × 3.5 cm, JPG, 20 KB–70 KB, taken within three months) and signature (3.5 cm × 3.5 cm, JPG, 20 KB–30 KB), and keep two more copies of the same photograph ready for DV |
| 5 | Upload 10th marksheet and certificate, consolidated ITI marksheet, NTC, and caste, EWS, PwBD or Ex-Servicemen certificates as applicable; any certificate not in English or Hindi needs an attested English or Hindi translation |
| 6 | Pay the ₹100 fee through the integrated gateway; no editing is possible after payment |
| 7 | Download the submitted application and save your Registration Number safely |
Only one application per candidate is allowed and duplicates are summarily rejected — but candidates holding ITI certificates in more than one trade may apply separately for each trade. For more openings in the state, track Odisha government jobs regularly.
Important Dates — RRC ECoR Act Apprentice Recruitment 2026
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notification released | 21 August 2026 |
| Online application opens | 26 August 2026 (5:00 PM) |
| Last date to apply online | 15 September 2026 (5:00 PM) |
| Age reckoned as on | 15 September 2026 |
| OBC NCL certificate issued on or after | 1 April 2026 |
Mark 15 September 2026 on your calendar — the portal shuts at 5:00 PM sharp and late applications are simply not accepted.
Application Fees — RRC ECoR Act Apprentice 2026
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| All candidates | ₹100 (non-refundable) |
| SC, ST, PwBD and Women | No fee |
Payment is accepted online only, through the gateway built into the application form — debit card, credit card, UPI or internet banking. Any transaction charge is borne by you. If the money is deducted but your application does not download, use the “Verify Payment” button on the portal to reconfirm the status.
Job Location & Training Units — ECoR Apprentice 2026
Training happens inside the units below, all in Odisha, and document verification for everyone takes place at the Railway Recruitment Cell, Bhubaneswar. After selection no change of trade, division or workshop is entertained, so do not pick a distant unit just because it shows more seats.
| Training Unit | Departments with Slots |
|---|---|
| Khurda Road Division, including ELS, Angul and the IOH Depot | Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, Signal & Telecom, Medical |
| Rayagada (RGDA) Division | Engineering, Electrical, Medical |
| Sambalpur Division, including Coaching and Balangir | Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, Signal & Telecom, Medical |
| Carriage Repair Workshop, Mancheswar | Mechanical, Electrical |
| Headquarters, Bhubaneswar | Personnel, Accounts, IT Cell, Medical |
Essential Links — RRC ECoR Act Apprentice Recruitment 2026
- Download Official Notification PDF
- Apply Online for RRC ECoR Act Apprentice 2026
- Visit RRC East Coast Railway Official Website
- Join WhatsApp Channel for Government Jobs
- Join Telegram Channel for Government Jobs
Don’t wait for the last day — the portal always slows down in the final 48 hours. Calculate your 10th percentage honestly, pick the division nearest to your home and submit the form this week. With 1,599 seats and no entrance exam — only a trade proficiency test at the end of training — the entry bar here is unusually low. Keep visiting GovtJobsAlert.in for the latest railway job notifications.