To catch young talent and tailor them to meet the requirements of the rail transport sector, the Finance Ministry has recommended Indian Railways to restart a 94-year-old apprenticeship scheme, which was discontinued in the year 2015. Conceived in 1927, the Special Class Railway Apprentice (SCRA) programme trained candidates, selected by the UPSC, in the undergraduate program in mechanical engineering at the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jamalpur. However, in 2015, the scheme was discontinued, according to a PTI report. The Ministry of Finance, in its report on the rationalisation of Indian Railways, has recommended the Railway Ministry reintroduce the programme, which involves hands-on training in the specialised field of technology used in the national transporter.
