the official ONGC advertisement (Advt. No. ONGC/APPR/1/2026, dated 29 October 2026): 3,047 tentative seats across 24 work centres, online applications open until 20 November 2026, tentative result date 15 December 2026. Still pending: document verification schedule, merit lists and any corrigendum.
Overview
ONGC has invited applications for apprentices under the Apprentices Act, 1961. The advertisement is listed on the official Recruitment Notices page of ongcindia.com with the date 31 October 2026, while the PDF itself carries the notification date 29 October 2026. Both appear in this article because candidates will see both dates quoted.
This is apprenticeship training, not a job. The advertisement says plainly that engagement does not give any right to regular employment in ONGC, and that apprentices are relieved from their work area after the training period ends.
There is no written exam in the selection process described in the PDF. That means no admit card and no syllabus in the usual sense. The headings for those are covered below so you know what to expect instead.
Important dates 2026
| Event | Date (official) |
|---|---|
| Advertisement issued | 29 October 2026 |
| Online portals open (NAPS and NATS) | 29 October 2026 |
| Last date to apply | 20 November 2026 |
| Age and qualification cut-off date | 29 November 2026 |
| Result / selection | 15 December 2026 (tentative) |
The PDF adds that ONGC may extend the application date if it receives too few applications or too few suitable candidates. So the 15 December result date is a target, not a promise.
Vacancy 2026: sector-wise seats
The grand total in the advertisement is 3,047 seats for 12 months of training. The seats are tentative and ONGC can change trades and numbers as per its requirement.
| Sector | Seats |
|---|---|
| Northern (Dehradun, Delhi, Jodhpur, OVL Delhi) | 191 |
| Mumbai (Goa, Hazira, Mumbai, Nhava, Panvel, Uran) | 482 |
| Western (Ahmedabad, Ankleshwar, Cambay, Mehsana, Vadodara) | 1,166 |
| Eastern (Jorhat, Nazira and Sivasagar, Silchar) | 674 |
| Southern (Chennai, Kakinada, Karaikal, Rajahmundry) | 267 |
| Central (Agartala, Bokaro, Kolkata) | 267 |
A small point about the official numbers: the PDF prints 269 as the Southern Sector total, but the four work-centre subtotals (40, 76, 98 and 53) add up to 267 by my own addition. With 267 the grand total comes to 3,047, which matches the printed grand total. So the 269 looks like a typing slip, and 267 is the figure used above.
The Western sector alone holds about 38 percent of all seats, and the Eastern sector another 22 percent. Individual centres vary a lot. Nazira and Sivasagar has 466 seats, Ankleshwar 392, Ahmedabad 331 and Mehsana 301, while Jodhpur has only 5. The advertisement says reservation for SC, ST, OBC, EWS and PwBD will follow government guidelines, but it does not give a category-wise seat split in the pages I read.
Domicile rule: the part most candidates miss
You can apply for a work centre only if you live in an eligible district for that centre, or if you got your required qualification from one (Annexure 1 of the PDF). Some centres are open to a whole state, such as Dehradun, Jodhpur, Agartala and Mumbai. Others are tight. Hazira accepts only Surat, Navsari, Tapi, Dang and Valsad. Bokaro accepts only Bokaro district. Rajahmundry accepts Krishna, East Godavari and West Godavari. Karaikal accepts a list of nine Tamil Nadu districts plus Karaikal in Puducherry.
The second route, studying in the district, helps people who moved for college. Keep that mark sheet or institute certificate ready.
Age limit
Minimum 18 years and maximum 24 years as on 29 November 2026. In dates, your birth date must fall between 29 November 2002 and 29 November 2008.
Upper-age relaxation: 5 years for SC and ST, 3 years for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer). For PwBD candidates the relaxation is up to 10 years, rising to 15 for SC and ST and 13 for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer).
Education qualification
The qualification depends on the trade. The main groups in the PDF are:
- Class 10 pass: Library Assistant.
- ITI in the matching trade: Electrician, Fitter, COPA, Instrument Mechanic, Mechanic Diesel, Welder, Machinist, Draughtsman (Civil), Electronics Mechanic, Surveyor, Stenographer (English), Mechanic Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Mechanic Repair and Maintenance of Vehicles and Medical Laboratory Technician (Pathology).
- Fire Safety Technician: 12th class, or ITI in a relevant trade.
- B.Com for Executive Finance, B.Sc (Chemistry) for Lab Chemist/Analyst, BBA for Executive HR, and any graduate for Secretarial Office Assistant.
- Three-year engineering diploma for the Oil and Gas executive trades and for Civil Executive (Diploma).
- Graduate degree in the matching engineering discipline for the Executive (Graduate) trades, a commerce degree for Accounts Executive, any graduate for Store Keeper, and a graduate with Geology as one subject for Petroleum Executive.
The PDF also says that for trades asking for an Electrician ITI, a Wireman trade certificate is not accepted. Degrees must be recognised by UGC or AICTE, and ITI certificates by SBTE or NCVT.
General conditions that can quietly remove you
You must not have done an apprenticeship before or be doing one now. You must not have completed three years since passing your qualifying exam as on 29 November 2026. If your mark sheet does not show the result date, you will need a certificate from your principal giving it. People with one year or more of training or job experience after getting the qualification cannot be engaged as Technician Apprentice.
Stipend 2026
Apprentices get a monthly stipend as per the Apprentices Act. ONGC does not pay TA/DA, boarding or lodging, or any help with transport.
| Category | Stipend per month |
|---|---|
| Graduate apprentice (BA, B.Com, B.Sc, BBA, BE, B.Tech) | Rs 12,300 |
| Three-year diploma (engineering) | Rs 10,900 |
| Trade apprentice, 10th or 12th | Rs 8,200 |
| Trade apprentice, one-year ITI | Rs 9,600 |
| Trade apprentice, two-year ITI | Rs 10,560 |
This is a stipend, not a salary, and the training runs 12 months for all trades.
Selection process 2026
There is no exam. Here is what happens, in short, according to the PDF. Applications from the NAPS and NATS portals are collected and sorted by trade, qualification and work centre. ONGC checks age, qualification, relaxation claims and scheme eligibility. A provisional merit list is made from the marks you got in your qualifying exam. If two candidates tie, the older one gets preference. Candidates are then shortlisted for document verification in a ratio ONGC decides, and the final merit list is made after verification. Engagement also depends on being declared medically fit.
Because the merit list is built centre by centre and trade by trade, your real competition is only the pool of eligible local candidates for that exact trade and place, not all 3,047 seats together. That is why a common ITI trade at a popular centre can be harder than a less common trade at a distant one.
Exam pattern, syllabus and admit card
None of these exist in the process described in the advertisement. The call for document verification comes by registered email and on the official website. Check your inbox and spam folder often, because the PDF says ONGC is not responsible for messages lost through wrong contact details.
Cut-off
There is no cut-off marks list in this process. Selection is by merit position against the seats of your trade and centre. I also did not find any past apprentice cut-off published on the ONGC Recruitment Notices page, which lists cut-offs only for other recruitments.
How to apply
Applications are accepted online only, on the government portals. The PDF says hard copy, post and hand delivery will not be accepted.
- Check your trade, scheme (NAPS or NATS, shown beside each trade in the vacancy tables) and eligible district.
- For NAPS trades, register and apply at apprenticeshipindia.gov.in.
- For NATS trades, register and apply at nats.education.gov.in.
- Enter qualification and personal details carefully, then submit before 20 November 2026.
You may apply to more than one centre or trade, but ONGC will allot you only one centre and one trade, at its discretion. For updates, the PDF names www.ongcindia.com and www.ongcapprentices.ongc.co.in. The contact email in the PDF is ongc_skilldev@ongc.co.in.
The PDF does not mention any application fee. Do not pay anyone to apply or for a “seat”.
Documents for verification
The PDF says shortlisted candidates should bring originals plus self-attested copies of: proof of date of birth, mark sheets and certificates of the qualifying exam, diploma, degree or ITI certificate, caste or category certificate (SC, ST or OBC Non-Creamy Layer) where claimed, PwBD certificate where applicable, valid ID proof, and NAPS/NATS registration details. Any false or doctored document cancels the candidature, even after engagement.
Warnings from last year’s cycle
The official notices page shows that the 2025 apprenticeship round (Advt. ONGC/APPR/1/2025) ran into extensions and delays: the last date was extended to 17 November 2025, result dates were revised in a corrigendum on 19 November, and a notice on 2 December 2025 said results were delayed by technical issues. So do not plan your life around 15 December 2026.
Also be careful with third-party sites. Some pages I saw still quote 2,623 posts and a 6 November last date, which do not match the 2026 PDF (3,047 seats, 20 November). Those numbers appear to belong to an earlier cycle. Go by the ONGC PDF.
ONGC Apprentice Recruitment 2026 – Important Links
| Link Description | Link |
|---|---|
| Official Notification PDF | Download ONGC notification PDF |
| Apply Online | Apply online for ONGC Recruitment 2026 |
| Official Website | Visit ONGC official website |
FAQs
I have an ITI certificate in Wireman. Can I apply as Electrician? No. The advertisement says a Wireman certificate is not acceptable where an Electrician ITI is required.
I passed my diploma in 2023. Am I still eligible? Only if three years have not passed since your result as on 29 November 2026. Look at the result date on your mark sheet. If it is missing, get a date certificate from your principal.
Should I register on NAPS or NATS? That depends on the trade. The Scheme column against each trade decides it. For example, Accounts Executive and the Executive (Graduate) trades are NATS, while Electrician and Fitter are NAPS. Note that Civil Executive (Diploma) is NATS, while the Oil and Gas diploma executives are NAPS.
Can I apply for more than one work centre? Yes, but only if you are eligible by domicile or study district for each, and ONGC will allocate you to one centre and one trade only.
Where will the result be published? On www.ongcapprentices.ongc.co.in, with intimation by registered email. The date given is 15 December 2026, tentative.