RCF Kapurthala Act Apprentice Recruitment 2026 – Apply Online for 734 Posts

Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, under the Ministry of Railways, has invited online applications in the prescribed format for the engagement of 734 Act-Apprentices, to be imparted training at its Technical Training Centre under the Apprenticeship Act, 1961. The notice, numbered A-1/2026 and dated 7 August 2026, is issued under the Skill India Mission and covers nine trades.

Eligible candidates can register their applications online on the authorised website of Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, by 5 September 2026, up to 24:00 hours, after which the application link will become inactive. Like all Act Apprentice engagements under the Apprenticeship Act, this is purely for imparting training and does not carry any guarantee of subsequent employment at RCF or in Indian Railways.

Overview of RCF Kapurthala Act Apprentice Recruitment 2026

Trade-wise Vacancy Details

The 734 Act Apprentice seats are distributed across nine trades, with the following category-wise break-up.

Note: PWD (Persons with Disability) and Ex.SM (Ex-Servicemen) seats are horizontal, drawn from within the above trade totals, and are not additional to them.

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Minimum Educational Qualification

Candidates must have passed the 10th class examination or its equivalent (under the 10+2 examination system) with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate from a recognised Board, and must also possess a National Trade Certificate (NTC) in the notified trade issued by the National Council for Vocational Training.

For candidates whose result is expressed as a CGPA, the percentage is calculated by multiplying the CGPA by 9.5 (for example, a CGPA of 7.4 works out to 70.3%). When marks are obtained in both Matriculation and ITI, the percentage of both examinations is averaged – for instance, 70% in Matriculation and 80% in ITI works out to an average of 75%.

Age Limit

Candidates should have completed 15 years of age and should not have completed 24 years of age as on 5 September 2026.

• Upper age limit relaxable by 5 years for SC/ST candidates and 3 years for OBC candidates.
• For Persons with Disability, upper age limit relaxable by 10 years.
• For Ex-servicemen, upper age limit relaxable by up to an additional 10 years to the extent of service rendered in Defence Forces, plus 3 years, provided they have put in a minimum of 6 months of service at a stretch.

Reservation for Physically Handicapped Persons and Ex-Servicemen

4% of the total seats are reserved each for Physically Handicapped persons and 3% for Ex-Servicemen, their children, and children of armed forces personnel. PwBD candidates must produce a disability certificate issued by a competent authority (i.e., a Medical Board duly constituted by the Central or State Government), and the disability should not be less than 40%. Candidates who do not meet this threshold should not apply as PWD, and will not be eligible for such concessions/facilities.

Application Fee

An application fee (non-refundable) of Rs.100 is to be paid through online mode only. RCF/Kapurthala will not accept application fee in Cash/Cheque/Money order/IPO/Demand Draft. No fee is required to be paid by SC/ST/PwBD/Women candidates. Fee payment must be made online through the payment gateway integrated with the application, typically 2 working days after the form is completed, via the link provided in the form.

How to Apply

1. Visit www.rcf.indianrailways.gov.in and log on to the portal provided for online applications.
2. Fill up the personal details/bio-data carefully, ensuring name, father’s name and date of birth exactly match the Matriculation certificate.
3. Upload a scanned passport-size colour photograph (3.5cm x 3.5cm, not older than 3 months, JPG/JPEG, 100 DPI, 20 KB-70 KB) and a scanned signature (3.5cm x 3.5cm, JPG/JPEG, 100 DPI, 20 KB-30 KB).
4. Complete and submit the application, ensuring correctness of all particulars before making the payment.
5. Pay the applicable fee through the online payment gateway (debit card/credit card/internet banking/SBI Challan, etc.).
6. Retain the printed e-receipt and a printout of the completed application form – the printout must be produced at the time of Document Verification if shortlisted.

No physical copy of the application is required to be sent to RCF; even if received, it will not be given any cognisance.

Mode of Selection

Selection will be based on a merit list prepared for all candidates who apply against the notification. The merit list is prepared on the basis of the percentage of marks in Matriculation (with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks) plus the ITI marks in the trade in which apprenticeship is to be done, with the panel based on a simple average of both. For percentage of Matriculation marks, marks obtained by the candidate in all subjects will be reckoned, and not the marks of any single subject or group of subjects.

In case two candidates have the same marks, the older candidate shall be preferred; if the dates of birth are also the same, the candidate who passed Matriculation earlier shall be considered first. A final merit list will be prepared trade-wise and community-wise, equal to the number of slots, in descending order of the percentage of marks obtained.

When the prescribed number of persons belonging to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe are not available, the training places reserved for them may be filled by candidates from the other of these two categories, or, if still unfilled, by persons not belonging to SC or ST. Similarly, seats unfilled by OBC candidates will be filled from the unreserved category.

Important Instructions

• Candidates finally enlisted would be subject to verification of original testimonials and being found fit in an appropriate medical examination, with the medical certificate signed by a Government-authorised Doctor (Gazetted) not below the rank of Assistant Surgeon of a Central/State Hospital.
• Candidates should preserve their Registration Number, issued at the time of online application submission, for further stages of the recruitment process.
• Candidates trying to submit more than one application with different particulars (name, father’s name, community, photo, qualification, etc.), or with different email ID/mobile number, will have all such applications summarily rejected.
• No hostel accommodation will be provided; selected candidates will have to make their own arrangements during training, as per the Apprentices Act, 1961, and will be released on completion of training.
• Training period and stipend will be as per extant rules and directives issued by the Railway Board from time to time.

About Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala

Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, is one of the principal coach-manufacturing units of Indian Railways, producing a wide range of passenger coaches used across the national railway network. Its Technical Training Centre plays a key role in building a skilled workforce in trades such as Fitter, Welder, Machinist, Electrician and Electronic Mechanic, and this large intake of 734 Act Apprentices under the Skill India Mission reflects the scale of technical manpower the factory trains each year, giving young candidates from across the country a structured, hands-on route into these trades even though it does not carry a job guarantee at the end of the training period.

Matching the Right Trade to Your Background

Since seats are divided into nine distinct trades with very different intake sizes – from a modest 20 slots each in Mechanic (Motor Vehicle) and Electronic Mechanic, up to 220 slots in Welder (G&E) – candidates should weigh both their existing ITI trade certificate (if any) and the realistic competition level in each trade before applying. Welder and Fitter together account for 400 of the 734 total seats, making them the largest single entry points into this apprenticeship, while smaller trades such as Mechanic (Motor Vehicle) will naturally see a higher ratio of applicants to seats within their specific community category. Candidates without an ITI certificate should also double-check that their intended trade is genuinely open to Freshers under the eligibility conditions before applying, since the notice’s category-wise seat table applies uniformly across UR, SC, ST and OBC candidates regardless of whether they hold a prior trade certificate.

Important Links

• Notification PDF
• Official Website
• Download NaukriPatra App
• Join WhatsApp Channel
• Join Telegram Channel

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is RCF Kapurthala Act Apprentice Recruitment 2026?

It is an engagement of 734 Act Apprentices by Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, for training under the Apprenticeship Act, 1961, at its Technical Training Centre, across nine trades.

2. What is the last date to apply online?

Online applications can be submitted till 5 September 2026, 24:00 hours, at www.rcf.indianrailways.gov.in.

3. What is the age limit for this apprenticeship?

Candidates must be between 15 and 24 years of age as on 5 September 2026, with relaxation of 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC, 10 years for PwBD, and additional relaxation for Ex-servicemen.

4. What is the minimum educational qualification?

Passed 10th class with minimum 50% aggregate marks, along with a National Trade Certificate (NTC) in the notified trade from the National Council for Vocational Training.

5. What is the application fee?

Rs.100, non-refundable, payable online only. No fee is charged to SC/ST/PwBD/Women candidates.

6. How is the merit list prepared for selection?

Based on a simple average of the percentage of marks in Matriculation (minimum 50% aggregate) and ITI marks in the concerned trade.

7. Does this apprenticeship guarantee a job at RCF?

No. This is purely a training engagement under the Apprentices Act, 1961, and does not guarantee employment after training.

8. Will RCF provide hostel accommodation to apprentices?

No. Selected candidates must make their own accommodation arrangements during the training period.

9. How many total vacancies are there and in which trades?

734 vacancies across Fitter (180), Welder G&E (220), Machinist (60), Painter G (40), Carpenter (40), Electrician (110), AC & Ref. Mechanic (44), Mechanic Motor Vehicle (20), and Electronic Mechanic (20).

10. Is a physical/postal copy of the application required?

No. The complete online application is sufficient; no physical copy needs to be sent to RCF, and even if sent, it will not be considered.