HCL Trade Apprentice Recruitment 2026: 171 Seats at Malanjkhand, Apply by 24 November

Hindustan Copper Limited has opened HCL trade apprentice recruitment 2026 for 171 Trade Apprentice seats at its Malanjkhand Copper Project in Balaghat district, Madhya Pradesh, with online applications running from 5 November 2026 to 24 November 2026, the company said in Notification No. HCL/MCP/HR/Trade App./01/2026, dated 3 November 2026. HCL trade apprentice recruitment 2026 covers 19 technical and mining trades under the Apprentices Act, 1961, at a Miniratna Category-I Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Mines. The merit list of shortlisted candidates is scheduled for publication on 8 December 2026, and the cut-off date for age and educational eligibility is 1 November 2026.

Notification	HCL/MCP/HR/Trade App./01/2026, dated 3 November 2026
Project	Malanjkhand Copper Project, Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh
Training seats	171, across 19 trades
Application window	5 November 2026 to 24 November 2026
Eligibility cut-off	1 November 2026
Age limit	18 to 25 years as on 1 November 2026
Training duration	1 year to 3 years, trade-wise
Stipend	As per Apprentices Act, 1961 norms; no figure stated in the summary checked
Merit list	8 December 2026
Selection	Academic and technical merit only; no written examination or interview

HCL trade apprentice recruitment 2026: trades and seats

Electrician holds the largest share of HCL trade apprentice recruitment 2026, with 36 seats, followed by Computer Assistant (COPA) with 20 seats, and fitter, turner and machinist, and welder (gas and electric) with 16 seats each. Shotfirer and blaster (mines) holds 13 seats, mechanic diesel and instrument mechanic hold 10 each, and driver-cum-mechanic (light motor vehicle) holds 6 seats. Mate mines (fresher) and solar technician (electrician) hold 4 seats each, while draughtsman mechanical, surveyor, carpenter and plumber hold 3 each, and draughtsman civil, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanic, mason (building constructor) and horticulture assistant hold 2 each. The category-wise totals are 71 seats for unreserved candidates, 46 for OBC, 25 for SC, 17 for EWS and 12 for ST, adding to 171. Training runs for one year in most trades, for 3 years in mate mines (fresher), for 2 years in shotfirer and blaster, and for 1 year and 3 months in driver-cum-mechanic, so applicants should check the duration of their own trade before applying.

HCL trade apprentice recruitment 2026: who can apply

For the two mining fresher trades, mate mines and shotfirer and blaster, a Class 10 or matriculation pass under the 10+2 system is enough, and no ITI qualification is required. For the other 17 trades, applicants must have passed Class 10 and hold an ITI pass certificate in the respective designated trade from a recognised technical institute, under NCVT or SCVT. Where Class 10 results use CGPA grading, candidates must convert the CGPA into a percentage by multiplying by 9.5. Two exclusions deserve attention. Candidates holding higher professional qualifications such as a diploma or a B.E. or B.Tech degree will not be considered, and higher general degrees such as a B.A., B.Sc. or B.Com carry no additional weight. Candidates who passed ITI in 2025 or earlier must also submit an affidavit on non-judicial stamp paper, sworn before a magistrate or notary public, certifying that they have not undergone apprenticeship training or taken regular employment anywhere.

The age limit is 18 to 25 years as on 1 November 2026, with relaxation of 5 years for SC and ST candidates, taking the upper limit to 30 years, and 3 years for OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates, taking it to 28 years. Selection is made entirely on academic and technical merit, with no written examination and no interview. For ITI trades, the merit score gives 70 per cent weight to Class 10 board examination marks and 30 per cent to the relevant ITI trade marks. For the two non-ITI mining trades, the score rests entirely on Class 10 marks. Where two or more candidates obtain equal aggregate marks, the older candidate ranks higher, and final engagement remains subject to being declared medically fit under HCL medical fitness standards.

How to apply for HCL trade apprentice recruitment 2026

Applications require two mandatory steps, and completing only one of them is not enough. First, register on the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme portal at apprenticeshipindia.gov.in: register as a candidate, complete the profile to 100 per cent Aadhaar verification, update bank account details and complete eKYC, enter academic qualifications, search the establishment list for Hindustan Copper Limited, Malanjkhand Copper Project, and apply for the relevant trade opportunity, then note the apprenticeship registration number. Second, submit the application on the HCL portal at hindustancopper.com, in the Career section, under "Engagement of Trade Apprentices in MCP - 2026": enter the apprenticeship registration number and personal details, upload a recent colour passport-size photograph and a signature in black ink, each in JPG format and under 50 KB, and, for ITI passouts from 2025 or earlier, the notarised affidavit in PDF format under 1 MB. The "One Applicant - One Application" rule applies, so check every entry before submitting, and print the computer-generated application form and acknowledgement slip for document verification.

Apply well before 24 November 2026, since both registrations must be complete by the closing date, and keep the acknowledgement slip safe until the merit list appears on 8 December 2026. Apply only through the two official portals named above and pay no fee to any intermediary: HCL does not appoint agents for apprentice engagement, and any message asking for money to secure a seat should be treated as fraud. Note also that this is apprenticeship training under the Apprentices Act, 1961, not a permanent post, and the stipend figure is not stated numerically in the summary checked, only as per the Apprentices Act norms, so applicants should confirm the applicable stipend in the full notification before treating any figure quoted elsewhere as final. Readers comparing apprentice openings should also read the Central Railway apprentice recruitment for 2,861 slots, which pays a stated stipend of Rs. 9,600 a month and selects on a simple average of Class 10 and ITI marks, and the Indian Bank apprentice recruitment for 1,500 posts, a 12-month bank training programme. The regular officer opening published alongside this story, SBI security officer recruitment for 60 posts, sits at the other end of the market, open only to serving or former military and paramilitary officers.

Sources: Hindustan Copper Limited, Notification No. HCL/MCP/HR/Trade App./01/2026, dated 3 November 2026, as summarised by PlacementStore; official portals, hindustancopper.com and apprenticeshipindia.gov.in. The summary used states that it has not been independently verified against the latest official notification, so applicants should confirm details in the full notification.