ONGC Apprentice 2026 Notification: 3,047 Seats for 10th, ITI, Diploma and Graduates

Your home district, or the district where you studied, decides which ONGC Apprentice 2026 seats you can take. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has 3,047 apprentice seats for 12 months at 24 work centres, under advertisement No. ONGC/APPR/1/2026 dated 29 October 2026. Applications are taken online from 29 October to 20 November 2026. You can apply with a Class 10 or Class 12 pass, an ITI certificate, a three-year engineering diploma or a degree, depending on the trade. Your age must be 18 to 24 on 29 November 2026. You also need a link to the district of the work centre, either by residence or by where you studied. The notice mentions no application fee, no written test and no interview.

Where the 3,047 ONGC Apprentice 2026 seats are, state by state

ONGC splits the seats into six sectors and 25 seat tables (pages 1 to 12). The notice says the numbers are “tentative” and may change with ONGC’s needs. We grouped each work centre’s printed sub-total by the state its seats are tied to in Annexure 1 (page 20). The state totals below are our own addition of ONGC’s figures.

The 25 sub-totals add up to 3,047, which matches the printed Grand Total on page 12. OVL Delhi has its own seat table, but Annexure 1 has no separate row for it. We placed it under Delhi NCR; the notice does not say which districts it takes. One printed figure does not add up. Page 11 gives the Southern Sector total as 269. By our addition, its four centres (Chennai, Kakinada, Karaikal and Rajahmundry) total 267, and the Grand Total of 3,047 works only with 267.

ONGC’s district rule: residence or the place you studied

Note 2 on page 12 sets out this rule. You can apply to a work centre “if and only if” you live in an eligible district for that centre. Getting your qualification from such a district also counts. Most centres accept every district of their state. A few are narrower (page 20):

• Hazira (Gujarat): only Surat, Navsari, Tapi, Dang and Valsad districts.
• Karaikal: Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Ariyalur, Tiruvarur, Tanjore, Trichy, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, plus Karaikal in Puducherry.
• Rajahmundry (Andhra Pradesh): Krishna, East Godavari and West Godavari districts.
• Bokaro (Jharkhand): Bokaro district only.
• Delhi: all districts of the National Capital Region (NCR).
• Uran (Maharashtra): all districts of Maharashtra, with preference to Raigad district.
• Kolkata: all districts of West Bengal and of Odisha.
• Chennai: all districts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Our reading of Note 2 and the Annexure 1 note: the rule also counts the place of study. So an ITI pass from Surat district can use the Hazira seats even if the student’s home is in another state. Keep a document that shows either your residence or the institute’s district. The how-to-apply section (page 18) mentions only the “district of residence”, so carry both proofs if you have them.

Fitter 393, Electrician 361, COPA 328: ONGC’s biggest trades

ITI-based trades take most of the seats. These are the largest trades across all centres, added up by us from the seat tables. COPA means Computer Operator and Programming Assistant, an ITI trade.

By our count, 2,546 seats fall under NAPS and 501 under NATS. Smaller trades include Machinist, Draughtsman (Civil), Surveyor, Stenographer (English), Store Keeper (Petroleum Products), Petroleum Executive and engineering executive seats for diploma and degree holders. The Library Assistant seats (one each at Ankleshwar and at Nazira and Sivasagar) need only a Class 10 pass.

Fire Safety Technician appears twice in the qualification table. One row says “ITI in relevant Trade”. The other says “12th Class or I.T.I (Two years after class 10th)”. Ankleshwar also lists five “Fire Safety Supervisor” seats, a name the qualification table does not cover. A few other seat rows, such as Mumbai’s “Civil Executive” and “Electronics Executive”, do not say whether they are for a degree or a diploma. Check the exact row for your centre before you apply.

NAPS or NATS: which portal your ONGC trade uses

Each seat row names a scheme. NAPS is the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme, run on apprenticeshipindia.gov.in. NATS is the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme, run by the Board of Apprenticeship Training on nats.education.gov.in. You must apply on the portal that matches your trade (page 18).

• NAPS: all ITI trades and the Class 10 and Class 12 trades. The “Oil and Gas” seats for B.Com, B.Sc. (Chemistry), BBA, any graduate and three-year diploma holders are also under NAPS, as are Ankleshwar’s “(Diploma)” seats for Electrical (12), Computer Science (1) and Electronics and Telecommunication (1) Executives.
• NATS: Accounts Executive, Store Keeper, Petroleum Executive, Civil Executive (Diploma) and the “(Graduate)” engineering executive seats. The plain “Civil Executive” rows at Delhi and Mumbai and Mumbai’s “Electronics Executive” row are also NATS.

So a diploma holder may land on either portal. An Electrical Executive (Oil and Gas) seat is under NAPS, while a Civil Executive (Diploma) seat is under NATS.

Age and the three-year passing limit, both on 29 November 2026

ONGC measures eligibility on 29 November 2026, nine days after the form closes (pages 12 and 17). Two rules use that date.

• Age: 18 to 24 years. The notice says your date of birth should be between 29.11.2002 and 29.11.2008.
• Age relaxation: 5 years for SC and ST, and 3 years for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer).
• Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD): up to 10 years. A PwBD candidate who is also SC or ST gets up to 15 years. One who is also OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) gets up to 13 years.
• The notice prints no age relaxation for ex-servicemen or EWS.
• Passing year: you must not have completed three years after passing your qualifying exam by 29 November 2026. If your mark sheet does not show the result date, get a certificate of that date from your institute’s Principal. You will need it at document verification.

Three groups that cannot take an ONGC seat

Section H on page 17 rules out these applicants:

• Anyone who has already done an apprenticeship under the Apprentices Act 1961, or is doing one now.
• For Technician Apprentice seats, anyone with one year or more of training or job experience after getting the required qualification.
• Anyone whose qualifying exam was passed three or more years before 29 November 2026, as explained above.

Selection is also subject to being declared medically fit under the Apprentices Act.

ONGC stipend: Rs 8,200 to Rs 12,300 a month for 12 months

Training lasts 12 months for all trades (page 14). A stipend is the fixed monthly amount paid to an apprentice during training. It is not a salary. ONGC lists these amounts:

ONGC pays no travel allowance (TA), daily allowance (DA), boarding or lodging during training, and no help with transport (page 15). ONGC also says it has no obligation to offer a regular job during or after the apprenticeship. Plan where you will live if the work centre is far from home.

Class 10, ITI or degree marks: ONGC’s merit list per trade and centre

There is no written test and no interview in the notice. ONGC downloads applications from the NAPS and NATS portals after the window closes. It checks eligibility and then makes a provisional merit list for each trade and work centre. The list is based on marks in your qualifying exam. If two people have the same merit, the older candidate is placed first (page 15).

1. Shortlisted candidates are called for document verification (DV), where original certificates are checked. The list is published on the ONGC website or sent by e-mail.
2. After DV, ONGC prepares the final merit list, applying the reservation rules for SC, ST, OBC, EWS and PwBD. The notice does not give a category-wise seat split.
3. Selected candidates complete the contract formalities on the NAPS or NATS portal. If someone declines or does not report, the seat may go to the next person on the merit list.

Page 19 gives 15 December 2026 as the date of result or selection. Results are to be posted on ONGC’s apprenticeship website, ongcapprentices.ongc.co.in (page 19). Page 18 says shortlisted and selected candidates are told by registered e-mail, so check your spam folder too.

One trade at one ONGC work centre per applicant

Note 1 on page 14 asks you to apply under one sector, for one work centre and one trade only. If you apply for more than one, page 1 says ONGC will allot just one centre and one trade at its discretion. Our suggestion: pick a centre where you clearly meet the district rule.

apprenticeshipindia.gov.in or nats.education.gov.in: filing the ONGC/APPR/1/2026 form

1. Find your trade and centre in the seat tables (pages 1 to 12) and note whether it is NAPS or NATS.
2. Confirm that your district of residence or study is in Annexure 1 for that centre.
3. Register and apply on apprenticeshipindia.gov.in for NAPS trades, or on nats.education.gov.in for NATS trades. Both accept applications from 29.10.2026.
4. Enter your marks and qualification exactly as on your mark sheet. Incomplete forms are treated as rejected (page 17).
5. Apply by 20 November 2026, the last date. Paper, postal and hand-delivered forms are not accepted.

For questions, the notice gives the e-mail ongc_skilldev@ongc.co.in. ONGC also says it may extend the last date if too few applications come in. In the last cycle, its recruitment notices page lists an extension of the NAPS and NATS last date to 17.11.2025.

Principal’s result-date certificate and district proof for ONGC’s DV

• Class 10 certificate or other proof of date of birth.
• Mark sheets and certificate of your ITI, diploma or degree.
• Proof of residence, or proof of where you studied. ONGC’s list on pages 15 and 16 does not name it, but the district rule depends on it.
• Caste certificate for SC, ST or OBC (Non-Creamy Layer), and the PwBD certificate if you claim it.
• A valid identity proof and your NAPS or NATS registration details.
• The Principal’s certificate of result date, if your mark sheet does not show it.

Any false information or missing document can cancel your candidature, even after you join (page 17).

ISRO URSC, GSSSB Surveyor and CSL CMSRU: openings beside the 3,047 ONGC seats

If you hold an ITI certificate, the ISRO URSC Technician and Driver recruitment is a regular job with a separate form. Gujarat candidates with a civil diploma or ITI Surveyor can look at GSSSB Surveyor 2026. Cochin Shipyard’s CMSRU workmen and safety assistant posts in Mumbai are contract jobs. ONGC’s own E1 engineer and geologist recruitment of 2026 shows how its regular hiring works. For more, see public sector company jobs, jobs for ITI holders, jobs for diploma holders, jobs for graduates and all-India government jobs.

Fee, out-of-state applicants and a 2023 ITI pass under ONGC/APPR/1/2026

Is there an application fee for the ONGC apprentice seats?

The 20-page advertisement does not mention any application fee.

Can a candidate from outside Gujarat use the Hazira seats?

Only if they studied in Surat, Navsari, Tapi, Dang or Valsad district. The rule accepts either residence or the place where you got your qualification.

Does the 12-month ONGC training lead to a regular post?

No. The notice says engagement does not give any right to regular employment, and apprentices are relieved after the 12 months.

I passed ITI in 2023. Can I apply?

Only if three years have not passed since your result by 29 November 2026. As our own worked example, a result declared in August 2023 would cross three years in August 2026, so that candidate would be out.

✍️ Published byLokesh Rathore

Lokesh Rathore is a content writer with over 4 years of experience covering Government Jobs, Sarkari Result, Admit Card and Sarkari Yojana. He turns complex official notifications into clear, accurate and easy-to-follow updates for job seekers across India - with every post cross-checked against official government sources.

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