ITI Courses After 10th: Trades, Eligibility, and Where Each Leads

ITI courses after 10th are trade-training programmes under the Directorate General of Training (DGT). After Class 10 you can join one. DGT’s own list shows trades that take one year, two years or six months, and entry ranges from Class 8 to Class 10 with Science and Mathematics. Which trade you can enter, and what it leads to, depends on the trade, not on the word “ITI”.

Most pages on this topic give a short list of famous trades and a fee range with no source. This guide uses DGT’s published trade table (read on 17 October 2026) to show how many trades exist, how long they take and what each needs. Then it follows the route onward: apprenticeship, a diploma, a Class 12 certificate and the railway posts that name ITI trades. For the wider map, start with all courses after 10th, by route.

What is an ITI course, and who runs it?

An ITI course is a trade-training programme under the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS). The Centre sets the standards, conducts the examinations and certifies; the state governments run the ITIs day to day, including admissions. DGT states that training is offered through 14,643 ITIs (3,331 government and 11,312 private) with 26.58 lakh trainees in 169 NSQF-aligned trades (DGT, Craftsmen Training Scheme, page last updated 19 October 2026).

Two facts follow from that. Admission, seat counts and fees are state matters, so a rule you read for one state may not hold in yours. And roughly three in four ITIs are private, which makes the affiliation check at the end of this page worth doing.

How long are ITI courses, and what do they ask for?

Most ITI trades take one year; about a third take two years. Most ask for Class 10, and the two-year engineering trades usually ask for Class 10 with Science and Mathematics. The counts below are a full recount of every row in DGT’s table (DGT, CTS course details, read 17 October 2026). The table has 170 rows, one more than the 169 trades named in DGT’s scheme page, so the totals can shift by one whenever DGT edits the list.

What DGT’s table shows	Trades (of 170 rows)
Six months (600 hours)	8
One year (1,200 hours)	108
Two years (2,400 hours)	54
Entry: Class 8 pass	20
Entry: Class 10 pass, any subjects	81
Entry: Class 10 pass with Science and Mathematics (or a vocational subject in the same sector)	64
Entry: Class 12 pass	5

Read the last row twice. A handful of newer trades, such as Database System Assistant and Semiconductor Technician, need Class 12, so they are not after-10th options even though they sit on the same list.

Which ITI trades can you do after Class 10?

Pick by the kind of work and the entry rule. Engineering trades are mostly two years and ask for Science and Mathematics; non-engineering trades are mostly one year and ask only for a Class 10 pass. The table gives examples from DGT’s list, with the entry rule as DGT states it.

Group	Example trades on DGT’s list	Length	Entry
Core engineering	Electrician, Fitter, Machinist, Turner, Mechanic Motor Vehicle, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician, Instrument Mechanic, Electronics Mechanic, Technician Mechatronics	2 years	Class 10 with Science and Mathematics
Newer engineering	Mechanic Electric Vehicle, CNC Machining Technician, Surveyor	2 years	Class 10 pass
Class 8 entry	Welder (several types), Plumber, Mason (Building Constructor), Dress Making; Wireman (2 years)	1 year (Wireman 2)	Class 8 pass
Non-engineering, one year	Cosmetology, Stenographer Secretarial Assistant, Cyber Security Assistant, Artificial Intelligence Programming Assistant, Catering and Hospitality Assistant, Front Office Assistant	1 year	Class 10 pass
Short trades	Drone Pilot (Junior), Drone Technician (Class 10 with Science and Mathematics); Fireman (Class 10)	6 months	As stated
Health related	Radiology Technician and Dental Laboratory Equipment Technician (2 years); Health Sanitary Inspector, Physiotherapy Technician (1 year)	1 to 2 years	Class 10 pass

The health row deserves care. These are ITI trade certificates, a different thing from the diplomas regulated by the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions, which ask for Class 12 Science. Paramedical courses after 10th explains the difference and what each qualifies you for.

Trade by trade: what DGT’s table says about length and entry

The groups above are a summary. This table lists individual trades as DGT’s table states them (read 17 October 2026), because the same word can hide different rules: there are six Welder entries, two Tool and Die Maker entries and at least two Electrician entries, each with its own line. NSQF is the National Skills Qualifications Framework level DGT assigns to the trade.

Entry DGT states	Trade	Length	NSQF level
Class 8 pass	Welder (six variants, including Pipe and Structural)	1 year	2.5 to 3
Class 8 pass	Plumber; Mason (Building Constructor)	1 year	2.5
Class 8 pass	Dress Making; Sewing Technology	1 year	2.5
Class 8 pass	Wireman; Painter (General)	2 years	3
Class 10 pass	Cosmetology; Domestic Painter; Industrial Painter; Solar Technician (Electrical)	1 year	3.5
Class 10 pass	Stenographer Secretarial Assistant (English or Hindi)	1 year	3 to 3.5
Class 10 pass	Draughtsman (Civil); Mechanic Electric Vehicle	2 years	4
Class 10 with Science and Mathematics	Mechanic Diesel; Marine Engine Fitter	1 year	3.5
Class 10 with Science and Mathematics	Electrician; Electrician (Power Distribution); Fitter; Draughtsman (Mechanical); Architectural Draughtsman; Marine Fitter; Aeronautical Structure and Equipment Fitter	2 years	4
Class 10 with Science and Mathematics	Tool and Die Maker (Dies and Moulds); Tool and Die Maker (Press Tools, Jigs and Fixtures)	2 years	4
Class 10 with Science and Mathematics	Drone Pilot (Junior); Drone Technician	6 months	3

Three lines in that table differ from what many guides repeat. Mechanic Diesel is a one-year trade, not two, and it asks for Science and Mathematics. Tool and Die Maker is listed at two years, not three. And Computer Operator and Programming Assistant (COPA), often named as a top general trade, appears in DGT’s table only for visually impaired candidates (and, in one entry, candidates with other disabilities), so a general candidate should not plan around it. If you want a computing trade, look at the newer entries already named above, such as Cyber Security Assistant.

How do you pick a trade?

Start from what you want the certificate to do, then check the entry rule. The table matches goals to the routes this guide has verified.

If you want	Look at	Check first
To enter a diploma later	A two-year engineering trade such as Electrician or Fitter	AICTE names a two-year ITI; ask your state board before choosing a one-year trade
A railway technician post	Fitter, Electrician, Electronics Mechanic, Instrument Mechanic, Mechatronics, Welder or Machinist (trades CEN 02/2026 named)	The next notice’s trade list and age limit; each cycle is different
To start work early with Class 8	Welder, Plumber, Mason, Wireman	That your state’s ITI offers the trade and has seats
A health-sector job	Radiology Technician, Physiotherapy Technician and the others in the table above	Whether the employer accepts a trade certificate, as the paramedical guide explains
A Class 10 or 12 certificate alongside	Any CTS trade, through the NIOS-DGT scheme	How many NIOS subjects you still need
A technology trade	Mechanic Electric Vehicle, Drone Technician, Cyber Security Assistant	Whether a nearby ITI actually runs it; newer trades may have fewer seats

How does admission work, and who can join?

Admission is through your state’s ITI process, normally on merit in the basic qualification (Class 8 or 10 marks). One NSTI’s published rules give a minimum age of 14 with no upper limit, and require a pass of 33% in trade theory, 33% in employability skills and 60% in trade practical, plus 80% attendance, to sit the final trade test (NSTI Agartala, CTS). Another NSTI page states a different attendance figure in places (NSTI Ludhiana), so ask your ITI for its written rule.

We do not quote ITI fees. Government ITIs set fees through the state, and private ITIs set their own; no national figure exists to cite. Ask for the full fee in writing, including exam and workshop charges, before you pay a deposit.

How do you apply, step by step?

The steps are much the same everywhere; the portal and the deadline are your state’s. Bihar’s 2026 cycle shows how one state does it, from its own prospectus for the Industrial Training Institute Combined Admission Test (ITICAT) 2026.

1. Find your state’s portal. The state runs admissions, as DGT’s scheme page states; search for your state’s ITI admission notice.
2. Check the trade’s entry rule against DGT’s table above, then register online. Bihar’s prospectus set online registration to close on 14 April 2026, and later notices on its board’s site extended the application date.
3. Sit the test if your state has one. Bihar’s prospectus gave 17 May 2026 as the proposed date of its entrance examination; some states admit on Class 10 marks alone.
4. Attend counselling and fill your choices. Bihar ran two main counselling rounds, then mop-up and spot rounds, with the latest spot-round notice on its site dated 17 September 2026 (ITICAT 2026 prospectus).
5. Verify documents and pay the fee at the allotted ITI, and keep the allotment letter.

Bihar’s checklist of enclosures is a fair guide to what any state will ask for: the Class 10 pass certificate, mark sheet and admit card; a caste certificate if you claim reservation; an income and asset certificate for the economically weaker section; a character certificate from your last school; a residence certificate; an Aadhaar card; and a photograph. Residence and reservation rules differ by state, so read your own state’s prospectus and do not copy another state’s dates.

Is there a scholarship for ITI students?

Possibly, depending on your category and state. The PM YASASVI scheme guidelines, hosted on the National Scholarship Portal, define “Group 4” post-matric courses as non-degree courses entered after Class 10, and name ITI courses and three-year polytechnic diplomas among them (PM YASASVI guidelines). The copy we read covers 2021-22 to 2025-26 and sets the family income ceiling for OBC, EBC and DNT students at Rs 2.50 lakh a year. Confirm on the portal that the scheme has been renewed, what the current ceiling is, and whether a different scheme applies to your category or state, before you rely on it.

What can you do after an ITI?

There are four exits, and each has a condition worth knowing before you choose a trade.

Apprenticeship and the National Apprenticeship Certificate

Apprentices are paid a stipend. Under the Apprenticeship Rules as amended in September 2019, the minimum first-year stipend is Rs 6,000 a month for a Class 10 school leaver and Rs 7,000 for a National or State certificate holder, rising 10% in the second year and a further 15% in the third (PIB, reply in the Lok Sabha, 14 September 2020). The same reply said the Government was not then considering an increase, so confirm today’s rate with the apprenticeship portal or the employer. A 2022 amendment says the cost of stipends is shared between the Central Government and the employer up to limits the Centre sets (Gazette, 15 November 2022). Completing an apprenticeship earns a National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC), which matters for railway recruitment below.

The second year of a diploma

AICTE’s Approval Process Handbook says a candidate with Class 10 plus a two-year ITI is eligible for the second year of a diploma in any branch of engineering and technology, with bridge courses offered in subjects like mathematics and drawing (AICTE handbook 2024-27, Annexure 8). The text says two-year ITI. Whether a one-year trade is accepted is for your state technical board to say, so ask in writing before you choose a one-year trade for this purpose. The diploma then connects onward, as polytechnic courses after 10th explains.

A Class 10 or Class 12 certificate

Under the NIOS-DGT scheme, ITI trainees can earn a Class 10 or Class 12 certificate while they train, with up to four ITI trade subjects credited for a two-year trade and up to three for a one-year trade (NIOS-DGT). DGT’s scheme page adds that a two-year trade needs only one additional language subject and a one-year trade only two additional subjects, and says the resulting Class 10 or Class 12 equivalency is recognised by universities, government departments and employers (DGT, NIOS-DGT scheme). This keeps the degree door open if your plans change.

Railway jobs that name ITI

Two recent Railway Recruitment Board notices show what ITI can be worth on paper, and what it cannot. CEN 09/2025 invited applications for Level 1 posts at an initial pay of Rs 18,000, with 21,997 vacancies and an age range of 18 to 33 as on 1 January 2026. The qualification was “10th pass or ITI or equivalent or National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) granted by NCVT” (RRB CEN 09/2025). CEN 02/2026 offered Technician Grade III at Level 2, initial pay Rs 19,900, within 6,557 vacancies across Technician Grade I (Signal) and Grade III posts, at ages 18 to 30 as on 1 July 2026. For Grade III it asked for Matriculation plus ITI in trades such as Fitter, Electrician, Electronics Mechanic, Instrument Mechanic, Mechanic Mechatronics, Mechanic Diesel, Mechanic (Motor Vehicle), Welder or Machinist, or a completed apprenticeship in them (RRB CEN 02/2026).

Three cautions come out of those notices. These are single recruitment cycles, not standing offers. Both notices say a diploma or degree in engineering is not accepted in place of ITI or a completed apprenticeship for those posts unless the notice says otherwise (CEN 02/2026 says so for Level 2 technicians), so a trade certificate is the right ticket there, not a lesser one. And the age floor of 18 means a student who passes Class 10 at 16 and completes a two-year trade is just old enough, while a one-year trade leaves a gap year to fill with an apprenticeship. What these posts pay compared with other routes is set out in high salary courses after 10th.

What mistakes do students make when choosing an ITI?

• Choosing a one-year trade for the diploma route. AICTE’s text names a two-year ITI. Ask in writing first.
• Planning around COPA. DGT lists it for visually impaired candidates, not as a general trade.
• Ignoring the age floor for railway posts. The 2025 and 2026 notices asked for 18; a one-year trade finished at 16 or 17 leaves a gap.
• Treating a Class 12 trade as a Class 10 option. Five trades in DGT’s table ask for Class 12.
• Copying another state’s dates and rules. Admission is a state process; Bihar tests, others may admit on marks.
• Paying a deposit before seeing the affiliation letter for your trade.

ITI, polytechnic or Classes 11 and 12?

Choose ITI if you want a hands-on trade and an earlier start, polytechnic if you want a three-year technical diploma and a route to a degree, and Classes 11 and 12 if you want every door kept open. They connect, so the choice is about the starting point, not a permanent sort.

	ITI trade	Polytechnic diploma	Classes 11 and 12
Typical length	6 months to 2 years	3 years	2 years, then a degree
Awarded	National Trade Certificate (NCVT)	Diploma (state board, AICTE-approved institute)	Class 12 certificate
Onward route	Diploma year 2 (two-year ITI), apprenticeship, NIOS	B.Tech year 2 by lateral entry (marks and seat conditions)	Any degree the stream allows
Best when	You want skilled work soon	You want an engineering career with a degree option	You are unsure, or want medicine or CA

How do you check an ITI before you pay?

Run five checks; each takes minutes.

1. Is the trade on DGT’s list? Match the exact trade name against the DGT trade table linked above, including its stated duration and entry rule.
2. Is the ITI affiliated to NCVT for that trade? Affiliation is per trade, so ask for the affiliation letter showing your trade and the number of seats.
3. Is admission through the state process? A private ITI should still follow the state’s merit and counselling norms.
4. Is the full fee in writing? Ask what is refundable and what exam and workshop charges are extra.
5. Can you meet one former trainee? Ask which employer or apprenticeship they went to. No ITI controls hiring, so treat any placement guarantee as a warning sign.

Frequently asked questions

Still deciding?

If you are comparing a trade, a diploma and school, a conversation can save a wrong turn. Book career counselling, or call 9212008787 or message us on WhatsApp with your Class 10 marks and the work you picture yourself doing, and we will compare routes with you, including ones we do not teach.