IREL Apprentice Recruitment 2026 - Apply Offline for 39 Graduate, Technician & Trade Apprentice Posts

IREL (India) Limited, a Mini Ratna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Atomic Energy, has released Notification No. IREL (India) Limited/MK/Apprentices Engagement/2026/01 dated 03 August 2026, inviting applications for the engagement of Graduate, Technician and Trade Apprentices under the Apprentices Act, 1961 at its Manavalakurichi (MK) unit in Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. IREL is commonly known by its short form IREL, with the full name Indian Rare Earths Limited (operating as IREL (India) Limited).

IREL (India) Limited, Manavalakurichi is inviting applications for 39 Apprentice Trainee seats, comprising 4 Graduate Apprentice, 4 Technician Apprentice, and 31 Trade Apprentice positions across trades such as Electrical, Civil, Mechanical, Fitter, Electrician, Welder, Turner, Carpenter, and PASAA (Computer Operator and Programming Assistant), among others. Eligible candidates are Indian nationals holding the specified BE/Diploma/ITI qualification for the relevant trade, aged between 18 and 25 years as on the last date of application, who have not undergone or are not currently undergoing any apprenticeship training under the Apprentices Act elsewhere. Candidates must first register on the official Government apprenticeship portals before applying, and the duly filled hardcopy application, along with supporting documents, must reach IREL by post on or before 31 August 2026. There is no written examination; selection is based on a merit list of qualifying marks combined with defined priority categories, followed by document verification and a medical fitness check.

• IREL Apprentice Recruitment 2026 Notification PDF

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IREL Apprentice Recruitment 2026 Overview

IREL Apprentice Recruitment 2026 Important Dates

Candidates should note that applications must physically reach IREL by the closing date; the notification does not treat the postal despatch date as sufficient, only the date of receipt.

IREL Apprentice Recruitment 2026 Vacancy Details

IREL (India) Limited has advertised a total of 39 Apprentice Trainee seats across Graduate, Technician and Trade categories for its Manavalakurichi unit. Candidates can apply for only one trade at a time.

A. Graduate Apprentices (4 Seats)

B. Technician Apprentices (4 Seats)

C. Trade Apprentices (31 Seats)

The notification does not provide a category-wise (SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PWD) breakup of seats for individual trades. It states that reservation for SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PWD will be applicable as per the prescribed percentage applicable to the State of Tamil Nadu, in line with relevant Government guidelines.

IREL Apprentice Recruitment 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility is trade-specific, as shown in the Vacancy tables above. In addition, the following general conditions apply to all applicants:

• Qualifications acquired through Distance Learning Mode, Part Time Mode, or Correspondence Mode will not be considered.
• Candidates who have already undergone, or are currently undergoing, apprenticeship training under the Apprentices Act, 1961 in any Government/Public Sector/Private industrial organisation are not eligible.
• Candidates should not apply for more than one trade at a time.
• Candidates holding a higher/professional qualification - such as ME/M.Tech, MCA, MBA or its equivalent, CA/ICWA, Ph.D, or LLB - need not apply, as these are considered higher than the prescribed induction-level qualification for the advertised seats. This list is not exhaustive; the Management may determine other disqualifying higher qualifications. Suppressing information about possessing or pursuing a higher qualification can render a candidate ineligible or lead to termination at any stage.
• If the final aggregate marks are not mentioned in the pass certificate or final mark-sheet, the average marks of all semesters/years will be considered as the marks scored in the qualifying examination.
• Where CGPA or grades are awarded instead of percentage, the equivalent percentage (as per the norms of the concerned University/Institute) must be indicated in the application, with a supporting certificate to be submitted at the time of document verification.

IREL Apprentice Recruitment 2026 Stipend

The rate of stipend payable to apprentices will be as prescribed under the Apprenticeship Rules, 1992, and as notified by the Government of India from time to time. The exact stipend amount is not specified in the official notification. During the training period, IREL (India) Limited will not provide any other benefit or financial assistance to apprentices beyond this stipend.

IREL Apprentice Recruitment 2026 Age Limit

IREL Apprentice Recruitment 2026 Selection Process

There is no written examination for this apprenticeship engagement. Candidates who fulfil the criteria relating to educational qualification, marks, and age are considered eligible for engagement as Apprentices on the basis of a merit list prepared from the marks scored in the specified educational qualification, subject to the candidate being declared "Medically Fit" by IREL (India) Limited's Medical Officer. In case of a tie in marks, higher marks in the specified qualification will be considered first; if the tie persists, seniority in date of birth will be taken into account.

Priority Order for Selection

Within the merit list, the following order of priority is applied, as per the notification:

1. Land Affected Category: Candidates belonging to the Land Affected Category (with documentary proof of having given land to IREL) are considered regardless of the marks obtained.
2. Preferential Priority within Category:
   • Wards of IREL employees, regardless of marks scored.
   • Wards of IREL employees who are deceased while on service.
   • Permanent residents of Chinnavilai, Periavilai, Puthoor and Kottilpadu villages, preferred over other villages within a 10 km radius of the company, regardless of marks scored.
3. Kanyakumari District Priority: Permanent residents of Midalam, Keezhmidalam and Kurumpanai villages are preferred over candidates from other villages in Kanyakumari District (documentary proof required).
4. State Priority: Candidates belonging to Tamil Nadu State (documentary proof required).
5. Others.

Document Verification, Medical & Police Verification

• Candidates will be called for document verification in order of merit and must submit original documents along with one set of self-attested photocopies of documents relating to educational qualification, age, category/PWD (if applicable), and other documents specified in the advertisement. Candidature will be rejected if a candidate fails to produce the original documents or is found not to satisfy the eligibility criteria.
• Shortlisted candidates must undergo a Medical Examination and be declared "Medically Fit" by the company’s authorised Medical Officer before engagement as an Apprentice. Final selection is subject to this medical fitness certification.
• As IREL (India) Limited is a highly protected area, apprentices will be allowed entry only after submission of a Police Verification Certificate duly issued by the concerned Police authorities of the area where the candidate normally resides. Candidates may initiate this process in parallel, as producing the certificate upon selection and prior to joining the training is mandatory.

Documents Required for IREL Apprentice Recruitment 2026

Candidates should submit self-attested photocopies of the following documents along with their application:

• 10th pass/Matriculation certificate or Birth Certificate issued by the concerned Education Board/Authority, as proof of date of birth (no other document will be accepted for verification of date of birth).
• 10th/HSC Mark Sheet.
• SC/ST/OBC (NCL)/EWS/Disability certificates, in the prescribed format, issued by the Competent Authority (for reserved category candidates). The OBC Non-Creamy Layer status must be valid and the OBC certificate must be the latest one issued by the Competent Authority.
• Income and Assets Certificate issued by the Competent Authority (for EWS candidates).
• Semester-wise/year-wise mark sheets and Pass Certificate in the respective discipline.
• Documentary proof for candidates belonging to the Land Affected Category or peripheral villages within a 10 km radius of the IREL, MK unit.
• Nativity Certificate.
• Land Loser Certificate, if applicable.
• Aadhaar Card.
• 10 (ten) passport-size photographs.
• Police Verification Certificate, duly issued by the concerned Police authorities of the area where the candidate normally resides.

How to Apply for IREL Apprentice Recruitment 2026

Applying for this recruitment involves two mandatory steps: online portal registration, followed by submission of a hardcopy application by post. Applications will not be accepted without prior registration on the relevant Government web portal.

Steps to Apply

1. Eligible candidates must first register themselves on the appropriate Government of India apprenticeship portal, depending on the category applied for:
   • For Trade Apprentices: register on the Portal of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (http://www.apprenticeshipindia.org).
   • For Graduate/Technician Apprentices: register on the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme portal of MHRD (http://www.nats.education.gov.in).
   Registration on the relevant portal must be completed before applying against this advertisement.
2. While applying through the portal, candidates must use IREL’s Establishment Registration Number: E05203301006 for Trade Apprenticeship, and STNKKC000004 for Graduate/Technician Apprenticeship.
3. Submitting the hardcopy of the application is mandatory for screening and selection, even after online portal registration.
4. Fill the application in the proforma given in the notification (Annexure A), preferably typewritten on A4 size paper.
5. Superscribe the outer cover of the envelope as: "APPLICATION FOR ENGAGEMENT OF APPRENTICE AGAINST NOTIFICATION NO. IREL (India) Limited/MK/Apprentices Engagement/2026/01".
6. Affix a recent passport-size photograph on the space provided in the application form, and enclose all supporting self-attested documents listed in the Documents Required section above.
7. Send the completed application to: The Chief Manager - HRM (Legal & ER), IREL (India) Limited, Manavalakurichi, Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu-629252.
8. The filled-in application must reach IREL on or before 31 August 2026. Applications received after this date will not be considered.
9. The application should be sent by post, preferably by speed-post. Applications sent through any other mode will also be considered; however, IREL will not be responsible under any circumstances for delay or loss during transit, and no correspondence will be entertained regarding this.

Important Instructions

• Candidates who have already undergone or are currently undergoing apprenticeship training under the Apprentices Act, 1961 in IREL (India) Limited or any other organisation are not eligible to apply again.
• If selected, candidates can be posted to any Department of the unit for the Apprenticeship Training.
• Selected candidates must execute a Contract with the respective authority as per the Apprentices Act.
• IREL (India) Limited has no obligation to offer regular employment to apprentices during or after completion of the apprenticeship period. On successful completion, candidates will be relieved from the respective work area.
• Any corrigendum, addendum, or update relating to this advertisement will be made available only on the official website www.irel.co.in. Candidates are advised to periodically check this website, as all future correspondence and the latest information will be published there only.
• The candidature of every applicant is provisional and subject to subsequent verification of certificates. If it is detected at any stage - during engagement or thereafter - that a candidate does not fulfil the eligibility norms, or has furnished incorrect/doctored/false information, certificates, or documents, or has suppressed any material fact, the candidature or engagement will be liable to be cancelled or terminated.
• The decision of the Management is final and binding on all candidates on matters relating to eligibility, acceptance or rejection of applications, mode of selection, cancellation of the selection process (in part or full), and higher qualification issues. No correspondence will be entertained in this regard. Filling of training seats is solely at the discretion of the Management based on candidate suitability, and no claim will arise if some seats remain unfilled due to unsuitability or an insufficient number of candidates.
• Applications that are incomplete or do not fulfil the eligibility criteria will not be considered "Eligible" and will be treated as "Rejected".
• Service terms and conditions of the apprentices will be governed by the Apprentices Act, 1961 and the Apprenticeship Rules, 1992, as amended from time to time.
• Physical verification of original documents will be carried out prior to the joining date, on a specific date to be communicated. A provisional offer letter of training will be sent via mail once a candidate is selected; a printout of the same, along with original documents and a self-attested copy, must be brought for verification.

Important Links

Candidates who have completed their ITI, Diploma, or BE qualification can also explore more ITI Government Jobs and Engineering Apprenticeship Jobs available across India.

Applicants looking for similar PSU apprenticeship opportunities can also check the latest Tamil Nadu Government Jobs across various departments. Those searching for openings closer to Kanyakumari District can browse Kanyakumari Government Jobs for upcoming vacancies. Candidates holding a trade or technical qualification can also explore more PSU Apprentice Recruitment and Trade Apprentice Jobs matching their qualification.