CPCL Apprentice Recruitment 2026

CPCL Apprentice Recruitment 2026: Overview

Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL), a Navratna refining company and a group company of IndianOil, is taking on Trade, Technician and Graduate Apprentices for the 2026-27 batch under the Apprentices Act, 1961. CPCL runs one of the largest refining operations in South India, so this is a chance to train inside a working refinery while drawing a monthly stipend. This is apprenticeship training, not a regular job.

The intake is unusually wide: it runs from 10th-pass hospitality trainees and Class 12 data entry operators to ITI tradesmen, diploma holders, engineering graduates and MBA (HR) or MSW post-graduates. The notice does not give seat counts for any trade, so every eligible recent pass-out should treat it as an open call.

Posts and Disciplines

• Trade Apprentice (ITI): for ITI holders in Fitter, Welder, Electrician, Mechanic Motor Vehicle, Machinist, Mechanic Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Instrument Mechanic, Draughtsman (Civil), Draughtsman (Mechanical) and COPA. Registered on NAPS.
• Laboratory Assistant (Chemical Plant): a designated trade for B.Sc. graduates who studied Chemistry with Physics, Maths or Biology; NAPS.
• Guest House Service Assistant: an optional trade covering food and beverage service for the canteen and housekeeping, open to 10th-pass candidates; NAPS.
• Graduate Apprentice (Non-Engineering): for BA, B.Com, B.Sc, BCA and BBA graduates; registered on NATS.
• Secretarial Office Assistant (Oil and Gas): office-side training for graduates from any non-engineering stream; NAPS.
• Executive (Human Resource) (Oil and Gas): HR training for MBA (HR), MSW or two-year full-time PG Diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations holders; NAPS.
• Graduate Apprentice (Engineering): BE/B.Tech in Chemical, Mechanical, EEE, ECE, Instrumentation, Civil, Computer Science, IT, Fire and Safety, and Environment Protection and Safety; NATS.
• Technician Apprentice (Diploma): diploma holders in Chemical, Mechanical, EEE, ECE and Instrumentation; NATS.
• Data Entry Operator: for Class 12 pass candidates who are not graduates, in two streams — freshers, and holders of a Domestic Data Entry Operator skill certificate recognised under the NSQF; NAPS.

Service Conditions and Caveats

• Recent pass-outs only: you must have cleared your final exams in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026. If you are still waiting for your result, you cannot apply.
• Prior work: anyone who has already worked elsewhere for one year or more is not eligible.
• Exact qualification only: CPCL will not accept equivalent qualifications — your degree, diploma or ITI must match the one listed for the trade.
• Complete profile: your NAPS or NATS profile must be 100% complete, with all required documents uploaded.
• Stipend through DBT: for NATS apprentices, half of the stipend is paid by the Government through Direct Benefit Transfer, so you need an Aadhaar-seeded, DBT-enabled bank account.
• Reservation: age relaxation follows the Presidential Directives on Reservation; the notice does not spell out the years.

Application Submission Notes

There is no offline form — CPCL takes applications only through the apprenticeship portals. Use NAPS (apprenticeshipindia.gov.in) for the ITI, Laboratory Assistant, Guest House, Secretarial, HR Executive and Data Entry Operator trades, and NATS (nats.education.gov.in) for the non-engineering graduate, engineering graduate and diploma seats.

After logging in, search for the opening under the establishment name "Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited" and apply there. If you are applying on NATS, check your Aadhaar bank-seeding status on the UIDAI myAadhaar site first, because your bank details are taken at the time of application.