Odisha's Higher Education Department has just launched the Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programme (AEDP) for undergraduates, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. This new program aims to connect classroom learning with real industry experience, so students aren't just stuck in textbooks-they actually get to work in their field.
Here's how it works: for the first two years, students focus on their regular academic courses. Then comes a mandatory apprenticeship in the third year, where they spend a year gaining hands-on experience. Even better, the department insists students get a formal stipend during their training, which not only helps them financially but also prepares them for real jobs.
The curriculum is pretty broad. There are apprenticeship tracks in eleven subjects-commerce, home science, economics, history, English, zoology, mathematics, library science, chemistry, geology, and botany. If you've finished your Plus II (higher secondary) education, you're good to apply. NEP 2020 is all about flexible learning, so students get plenty of choices. When applying, you can build your own academic route: choose a single major with two minors, pick double majors, or go for three minor subjects, depending on what interests you.
Applications are completely online this year. You submit everything through the Student Academic Management System (SAMS) portal, and the deadline is June 10-so not much time left. After the forms are in, the Higher Education Department will release the first official merit list on June 17. The state wants things to move fast: enrollment should finish quickly, and undergraduate classes are set to kick off for the next session by July 9, 2026.