HEMRL Apprentice Recruitment 2026 – Apply Offline for 50 Graduate Apprentice Vacancies

The High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), DRDO, Pune, under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, has released an official notification for the engagement of Apprentices for the training year 2026–27. The recruitment is being conducted under the provisions of the Apprentices Act, 1961 and Apprentices Rules, 1992.

Through this recruitment drive, HEMRL is inviting applications from eligible and meritorious Indian nationals for 50 Graduate Apprentice positions in various engineering, science, commerce, arts and library-related disciplines. The selected candidates will undergo one year of apprenticeship training at HEMRL, Pune.

The monthly stipend is ₹15,000, making this an important opportunity for eligible fresh graduates who want to gain practical training and experience in a premier DRDO establishment.

Candidates should carefully check the educational qualification, passing-year requirement, apprenticeship conditions and application procedure before applying. Importantly, only offline applications will be accepted, and the completed application must reach HEMRL by 28 August 2026.

HEMRL Apprentice Recruitment 2026 – Overview

The notification specifically states that HEMRL is inviting applications for one year of apprentice training under the Apprentices Act, 1961 and Apprentices Rules, 1992.

HEMRL Apprentice Vacancy 2026

HEMRL has announced a total of 50 Graduate Apprentice vacancies across multiple disciplines.

The official notification gives ₹15,000 per month as the stipend for the Graduate Apprentice category. Category-wise allocation such as General/SC/ST/OBC will be made according to the applicable rules.

HEMRL Apprentice Eligibility Criteria 2026

Candidates must fulfil all the eligibility conditions prescribed in the notification.

1. Nationality

Only Indian Nationals are eligible to apply for the HEMRL Apprentice Training 2026-27.

2. Educational Qualification

Candidates must possess the relevant educational qualification mentioned against the apprenticeship discipline from a recognized Board/University.

The eligible qualifications include:

• B.E./B.Tech
• B.Sc. Chemistry
• B.Sc. Computer Science
• B.A.
• B.Com
• BBA
• BLIS

The exact branch-wise qualification should be checked against the vacancy table before sending the application.

3. Passing Year

One of the most important eligibility conditions is the passing-year requirement.

Candidates who passed their qualifying examination in the last five years – 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026 – are eligible.

Candidates whose qualifying examination result has not been declared or is not available by the application deadline are not eligible.

4. Higher Qualification

Candidates possessing a higher qualification than the qualification prescribed for the apprenticeship are not eligible.

Therefore, candidates should carefully compare their qualification with the discipline mentioned in the official notification before applying.

5. Regular Candidate Requirement

Only candidates who have completed the qualifying examination as regular candidates are eligible to apply.

6. Age Limit

The minimum age is 18 years.

The maximum age and applicable relaxation will be governed by the Apprentices Act, 1961, Apprentices Rules, 1992 and NATS 2.0 Guidelines.

7. Previous Apprenticeship/Work Experience

Candidates who have already undergone apprenticeship training after obtaining the required qualification, are currently undergoing apprenticeship training under any organization, or have one year or more of job experience after obtaining the essential qualification, are not eligible.

HEMRL Apprentice Stipend 2026

Selected Graduate Apprentices will receive a stipend of:

₹15,000 per month

The apprenticeship training period will be one year. The training begins from the date of execution of the apprenticeship contract.

The notification also specifies that the apprenticeship does not guarantee employment with HEMRL or DRDO after completion of training.

HEMRL Apprentice Selection Process 2026

There is no single fixed selection method mentioned for every discipline.

According to the notification, candidates may be shortlisted based on:

1. Academic merit
2. Written test
3. Interview
4. Walk-in interview
5. Combination of the above methods

The selection method may depend upon the vacancies available in different categories and disciplines. Selection will also be subject to satisfactory document verification.

Important Selection Point

HEMRL reserves the right to establish its own shortlisting criteria. Merely satisfying the minimum eligibility conditions does not guarantee shortlisting or selection.

Candidates should therefore keep all their original documents ready.

Document Verification

At the time of document verification, candidates are required to produce the original documents along with one set of self-attested photocopies.

Important documents include:

• Ink-signed application printout
• Signed copy of NATS 2.0 profile
• Mark sheets and certificates from 10th standard up to the minimum educational qualification
• Aadhaar Card/Photo ID proof
• Address proof
• Two recent passport-size colour photographs
• SC/ST/OBC-NCL/PwBD/EWS certificate, wherever applicable

These requirements are specifically mentioned in the notification.

Documents Required at Joining

Selected candidates must additionally provide documents such as:

• Valid Police Verification Certificate
• Physical Fitness Certificate issued by an authorized Medical Officer of a Government Hospital
• Undertaking regarding adherence to the Indian Official Secrets Act, 1923
• Undertaking regarding applicable IT Rules and Regulations
• Aadhaar-seeded bank account details for DBT stipend
• Passbook front page or cancelled cheque
• Three recent passport-size colour photographs

The notification states that additional documents, if required, may be communicated to the candidate at the time of selection/joining.

How to Apply for HEMRL Apprentice Recruitment 2026

The application procedure is particularly important because this recruitment is not an online-only recruitment.

Step 1 – Register on NATS 2.0

Eligible degree candidates must first register themselves on the NATS 2.0 portal.

Step 2 – Download Application Form

The HEMRL apprenticeship application form is available through the DRDO website’s vacancies section.

Step 3 – Fill the Application Form

Candidates should carefully fill in details such as:

• Applicant name
• Apprenticeship category
• Subject/branch
• NATS enrolment number
• Aadhaar number
• Father’s name
• Mother’s name
• Nationality
• Category
• Gender
• Date of birth
• Email ID
• Correspondence address
• Permanent address
• Mobile number
• Educational qualification

The official application form is provided on pages 7–8 of the notification.

Step 4 – Enter Educational Details

Candidates need to provide educational details including:

• Examination/Degree
• Board/University
• Subject/Branch
• Year of passing
• Maximum marks/CGPA
• Marks secured/CGPA
• Percentage
• Division/Grade

The application form includes fields for X, XII and the relevant degree qualification.

Step 5 – Convert CGPA Where Required

The notification provides a specific instruction regarding CGPA.

Where the marksheet does not mention the percentage or a conversion formula, the application form states that percentage may be calculated as:

Percentage = CGPA × 9.5

However, where the university has its own applicable conversion method, candidates should follow their university’s norms as specified in the recruitment instructions.

Step 6 – Sign the Application

The candidate must certify that all information provided is correct and sign the application form.

Step 7 – Send the Application by Post

Only offline applications will be accepted.

The completed application must reach the following address:

To
The Director,
HEMRL, Ministry of Defence, DRDO,
Sutarwadi, Pashan,
Pune – 411021, Maharashtra

Candidates should mention “Kind Attention: HRD, HEMRL, Pune” as instructed in the notification.

Important Dates

The key deadline explicitly mentioned in the notification is 28 August 2026, which is the last date for receipt of the application.

Candidates should not wait until the last date because the application has to reach HEMRL physically.

Important Links

The notification specifically directs degree candidates to register on NATS 2.0 and use the application form available through the DRDO vacancies section.

Important Instructions for Candidates

Candidates should keep the following points in mind:

• Only Indian nationals can apply.
• Only eligible qualifications mentioned in the notification will be considered.
• Qualifying examination must have been passed during 2022–2026.
• Candidates awaiting their qualifying examination results on the last date are not eligible.
• Candidates with higher qualifications are not eligible.
• Previous apprenticeship training can make a candidate ineligible.
• One year or more of job experience after the essential qualification makes a candidate ineligible.
• Only offline applications are accepted.
• Incomplete or incorrect applications will be rejected.
• Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
• Candidates must mention marks in percentage.
• Original documents must be produced during document verification.
• Canvassing or influencing the selection process will lead to disqualification.

The HEMRL Apprentice Recruitment 2026 is a good opportunity for eligible graduates from engineering, science, commerce, arts, business administration and library science backgrounds to undergo one year of apprenticeship training at HEMRL, Pune.

A total of 50 Graduate Apprentice vacancies are available, with a ₹15,000 monthly stipend. Candidates who passed their qualifying examination in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026 can be considered, subject to all other eligibility conditions.

The most important point candidates should remember is that the application process is offline. Degree candidates must register on NATS 2.0 and then submit the prescribed application form to HEMRL by post. The application must reach HEMRL on or before 28 August 2026.

Before sending the application, candidates should verify their qualification, passing year, age, previous apprenticeship/job experience and all required documents. Since HEMRL reserves the right to shortlist candidates according to its own criteria, merely meeting the minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee selection.

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