Bank of Baroda Apprentice 2026 — 5,000 Posts and the One Mistake Most Candidates Make
Bank of Baroda has released 5,000 Apprentice vacancies for 2026 under the Apprentices Act, 1961. This is a structured one-year training program in India's second-largest public sector bank. The category-wise distribution is: General (UR) 2,148 posts, OBC 1,208 posts, EWS 486 posts, SC 717 posts, and ST 441 posts. The most important thing to understand before you apply: the application does not go through bankofbaroda.in. It goes through the central government apprenticeship portals — NATS for degree holders and NAPS for diploma holders. Candidates who search "Bank of Baroda apprentice apply" and land on BOB's main website cannot apply from there. Go to nats.education.gov.in or apprenticeshipindia.gov.in, search for Bank of Baroda under Establishment Name, and apply from there. This is the one mistake that eliminates thousands of otherwise eligible candidates every year.
NATS vs NAPS — Which Portal Are You?
The difference matters. NATS (National Apprenticeship Training Scheme at nats.education.gov.in) is run by the Ministry of Education and is meant for degree holders — if you have a B.A., B.Com., B.Sc., BCA, or any other three-year or four-year graduation degree, NATS is your portal. NAPS (National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme at apprenticeshipindia.gov.in) is run by the Ministry of Skill Development and handles a broader category including diploma holders and others. For the BOB 2026 recruitment, the eligibility requires a graduation degree, so most applicants will use NATS. If you have already registered on NATS for a previous apprenticeship, use the same account — do not create a duplicate. Fresh registration is straightforward: email ID, mobile number, Aadhaar-linked details, and your degree information.
The ₹800+GST Fee — What It Covers
The application fee for General, OBC, and EWS male candidates is ₹800 plus GST. Female and transgender candidates in these categories pay ₹600 plus GST. SC/ST candidates pay ₹200 plus GST, and PwBD candidates pay ₹400 plus GST. This fee is significantly higher than SBI's ₹300 flat fee. The reason: BOB's apprenticeship is administered as a genuine training program with an establishment cost. The fee goes toward administration through the NATS/NAPS system. Payment is made online through the portal — the portal accepts all standard payment modes. Keep the payment confirmation screenshot as proof.
What You Are Actually Signing Up For — 12 Months Inside BOB
Bank of Baroda has over 8,200 branches across India and more than 8,200 ATMs. As an apprentice, you are posted in one of these branches as a trainee under the Apprentices Act. The work is front-end banking — customer service, cash counter operations, account servicing, document verification for account opening, and basic loan application processing. Your stipend is ₹15,000 per month for metro and urban branches, and ₹12,000 for rural and semi-urban branches. Posting is based on your state of domicile and vacancy availability in that region. The 12-month contract does not guarantee permanent employment, but the Apprenticeship Completion Certificate from BOB is a recognized credential for banking exam interviews. Former BOB apprentices appearing in IBPS PO and IBPS Clerk interviews consistently report that interviewers ask detailed questions about banking operations — questions that become straightforward when you have spent a year inside a branch.
The Written Test — Pattern and What to Focus On
Shortlisted candidates appear for an online written test. The exam covers four broad areas: Computer Knowledge, General English, General and Financial Awareness, and Quantitative and Reasoning Aptitude — 100 questions total with no negative marking. The General and Financial Awareness section focuses heavily on banking and financial news, RBI policy announcements, government schemes, and the Indian banking system. Candidates who prepare for IBPS Clerk simultaneously will find most of this overlapping. The Computer Knowledge section tests MS Office basics, internet concepts, and banking software terminology. After the written test, shortlisted candidates appear for a local language proficiency test — qualifying only — and then document verification.