Defence PSU Technician (AWEIL, MIL, HAL, BEL trade apprentice)

Making, fitting, machining, welding, wiring, testing and repairing parts of weapons, armoured vehicles, ammunition, aircraft and electronics. You work from drawings and follow safety rules closely.

A day in the work
You reach the unit early and change into safety gear. A supervisor gives you the day's job card and drawing. You might turn a part on a lathe, weld a frame, wire a panel or test a circuit, and then measure it to the tolerance on the drawing. A mistake can mean scrapping an expensive part, so you check twice. Later in the day you clean the machine, fill in the log and learn from the senior technician next to you.

1. Step 1 · Class 8–10Pass Class 10 as a regular, full-time student. The HAL Barrackpore 2026 notice gave 70% of the selection weight to Class 10 marks, so your Class 10 marks matter a lot.
2. Step 2 · After Class 10 · 1–2 yearsJoin an NCVT-recognised ITI and pick a trade that defence units actually advertise. The HAL Barrackpore 2026 notice listed Fitter, Machinist, Electrician, Welder and Turner. Other units also list trades like Electronic Mechanic, COPA and Draughtsman (reported). Do not leave ITI before your result. Some notices (BEL Bengaluru, reported) did not accept students still waiting for results.
3. Step 3 · Before the notice closesRegister on the Apprenticeship India portal and keep your Class 10 and ITI marksheets, Aadhaar, photo and caste or disability certificates ready. HAL's 2026 Hyderabad notice asked for portal registration before the walk-in (reported). Notices are short. Walk-in dates can be only 2–3 weeks after the advertisement. Watch the unit's own website, such as hal-india.co.in, bel-india.in, avnl.co.in and munitionsindia.in. (reported — check with the official body)
4. Step 4 · SelectionSelection depends on the unit. HAL Barrackpore 2026 used a merit list with no written test or interview. BEL Bengaluru 2026 used a walk-in written test, and BEL Navi Mumbai 2026 used an interview (both reported). Age limits also differ. HAL Barrackpore allowed 18–26 years for General candidates. BEL's ITI notices said a maximum of 21 years (reported). Reserved categories get relaxations.
5. Step 5 · Document check, medical and police verificationOriginal certificates are checked. Defence units also ask for a medical fitness certificate and a police verification report before you are finally engaged (reported from AVNL's 2026 notice). (reported — check with the official body)
6. Step 6 · About 1 yearApprenticeship training on the shop floor under the Apprentices Act, 1961. You are a trainee and you get a monthly stipend. You are not a permanent employee.
7. Step 7 · After trainingApply when technician jobs are advertised. In 2026, AVNL advertised Junior Technician posts for people holding NTC/NAC (the ITI or apprenticeship certificate). The jobs were fixed-term, for 1 year and extendable up to 4 years, and selection used a computer test and a trade test (all reported). MIL has advertised tenure-based posts for ex-apprentices of its AOCP trade. Ex-apprentices of AVNL also get age relaxation equal to their training period (reported). (reported — check with the official body)

• ITI route (the main one)Starts after: Class 10 Class 10, then ITI in a trade, then a 1-year trade apprenticeship at HAL, BEL, AVNL, MIL or another defence unit.
• Diploma routeStarts after: Class 10 (diploma) or Class 12 A 3-year engineering diploma, then a 1-year technician (diploma) apprenticeship, applied for through the NATS portal. BEL and AVNL advertised these in 2026 (reported).
• Fresher (non-ITI) trade apprenticeStarts after: Class 10 A few units, such as Cordite Factory Aruvankadu in 2026, took Class 10 passers without ITI for chemical-plant trades, with a lower stipend (reported). These are limited and not offered everywhere.

Fees from: HAL Barrackpore trade apprentice notification, 9 July 2026 · Munitions India Limited: career notices page. Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

An apprentice gets a modest monthly stipend. Once in a technician job, pay depends on the company, whether the post is fixed-term or regular, overtime and allowances, and later promotions with experience.

Apprentice seats follow the reservation rules of the Apprentices Act, including SC, ST, OBC, EWS, PwD and ex-servicemen. HAL Hyderabad's 2026 notice listed these (reported), and BEL's notices gave age relaxations of 5 years for SC/ST, 3 for OBC and 10 for PwBD (reported). Some hazardous explosives-handling posts are not open to PwD candidates. Munitions India's Itarsi notice for tenure-based CPW posts said so. I found no separate rule keeping women out of the notices I read, but check each notice.

• Class 7–9Take apart a broken torch, fan or toy (with an adult's permission, unplugged and with no mains power). Draw how it fits together, then rebuild it.
• Class 10–12Read two real apprentice notices on the Munitions India career page. Note the trades, age limits and how each unit selects. Then visit your nearest government ITI to see the workshops.Open link ↗
• College or afterTake a free NPTEL or SWAYAM course on manufacturing processes, basic electrical work or workshop practice. It will help in your ITI or diploma.Open link ↗

• In 2021 the old Ordnance Factory Board was split into several defence companies, including AWEIL, MIL and AVNL. The factory names you may have heard of now belong to these companies. I could not find a current AWEIL apprentice notice, so check its website directly.
• Apprenticeship is training, not a job. Notices from these units say the engagement is temporary and gives no right to permanent employment.
• Every unit publishes its own notice with its own trades, age limit, dates and method. Some are walk-in, some are by post, and some are online. Read the notice for your unit and apply only through official websites. Never pay anyone for a seat.
• Interested in the same work but with more study? Look at a diploma in engineering, or at ITI Fitter, Machinist and Electrician jobs elsewhere in government and industry.