The Railways has set a target of training 30,000 apprentices at its 16 zonal and seven production units in 2018-19, as part of the government’s Skill India initiative, the national transporter said in a statement today.These apprentices would be trained in various categories like fitter, turner, machinist, welder, painter, carpenter, electrician, refrigerator and AC mechanic, mechanic (motor vehicle/diesel) and others.For the financial year 2017-18, about 26,000 training slots for apprenticeship have been notified in addition to over 4,000 people already undergoing training at various railway facilities.”The Railways recognises that skill development of the labour force is an important component of development of human resources. It is crucial for the industrial development of the country.”Skill training imparted through formal institutions alone is not sufficient to make the labour force fully skilled. This needs to be supplemented by training in the actual work place”, the statement said.It said an employment notification was issued earlier this week for recruitment of 62,907 staff in Level 1 pay scale.Apprentice training comprises basic and on-the-job training/practical training. Basic training is an essential component of apprenticeship for those who have not undergone any institutional training before taking up on-the-job and practical training.