The ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship on Thursday signed an agreement with Yashaswi Academy for Skills with an objective to expand the number of apprentices in India by providing one lakh trade apprentices for youth in over three years."The aim is to expand the number of apprentices in India by taking necessary steps required to motivate today’s youth as well as employers to participate in the programme," said Rajiv Pratap Rudy, minister of skill development and entrepreneurship. "the government has recognised the apprenticeship programme as part of its skill initiative to increase and improve training for Indian youths and help them attain better jobs," he added.A web-based apprenticeship portal was recently launched to bridge the gap between students and industry where all companies would be required to publish their trade-wise requirement of apprentices. Apprentices would also be encouraged to apply online. This will enable online interaction among apprenticeship applicants, companies and the government.