GDA course, nanny and japa training: do you need one, and where to get it free

Do you need a course at all?

No law we could find requires a certificate to work as a nanny, japa maid or caretaker in a family's home, and the official course documents themselves list no licence or prior training to join.¹² Most families decide on references, a conversation and a paid trial.

A recognised course still earns its keep. It teaches safe lifting, hygiene and what to do in an emergency, which matters most in patient and elder care. It gives you a certificate with a national level on it. And it gives you an honest answer when a family asks "have you been trained?".

Be wary of private institutes that charge tens of thousands of rupees for a "nanny diploma" promising a job abroad. The government courses below are free under PMKVY where a centre runs them.

The courses, side by side

These are the courses the government's sector skill councils publish. NSQF is the national level, from 1 upward; hours include classroom, practice and on the job training.

Sources: the Healthcare Sector Skill Council for the first three, and the Home Management and Care Givers Sector Skill Council (earlier the Domestic Workers Sector Skill Council) for the rest.¹³⁴²⁵

GDA: the patient care course

The General Duty Aide is trained to "provide personal care, comfort and assistance" with a patient's food and toilet needs "while ensuring their safety".¹ The current version runs 600 hours, of which 160 are on the job; an older 900 hour version is still listed, so ask the centre which one it teaches.¹ GDA is one of the healthcare courses the government names under PMKVY 4.0.⁶

If the work you want is looking after a bedridden or recovering patient at a family's home, this is the course families recognise most. Read what a patient caretaker does at home to see what the job involves day to day.

Elder care

The Geriatric Caregiver (Institutional and Home Care) course is the elder care course the Healthcare Sector Skill Council lists under PMKVY 4.0: 480 hours, with optional add ons in palliative or dementia care.³ It asks for 12th pass. If you have less schooling, the Elderly Caretaker (Non Clinical) course from the home care council accepts 10th pass, or 8th or 5th pass with experience.⁵

In August 2026 the government also launched a training programme for multi skilled caregivers under PMKVY, aiming to train 1.5 lakh caregiving professionals.⁶

Nanny and japa work

For nannies, the Baby Caregiver (Nanny) course covers infants and toddlers, 450 hours.² For japa work, the closest recognised course is Mother and Newborn Care (Non Clinical), 390 hours. It covers the physical, emotional and social care of the mother and newborn, including helping with breastfeeding positions, spotting signs of postpartum depression, and the mother's massage.⁴

The Home Health Aide course, despite the name, does not cover mothers and newborns, so it is not the one for japa work.⁷ For what families expect from a japa maid, read what a japa maid does.

Free under PMKVY: how to join

PMKVY (Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana) is the government's skill training scheme. Skill India Digital says "all short-term training programs, special projects and RPL certification under PMKVY are provided free of cost to eligible candidates".⁸

1. Open skillindiadigital.gov.in and find the PMKVY page. Click "Show Interest", complete your Aadhaar KYC and profile, and browse for a training batch near you.⁸
2. Or search the training centre list by state and course. General Duty Assistant, Home Health Aide and Geriatric Caregiver are among the courses you can filter by.⁹
3. Ask the centre three things: is this batch under PMKVY (so free), which version of the course is it, and when is the assessment.

Skill India Digital's contact number is 8800055555.¹⁰ A centre that asks you for a fee for a PMKVY batch is not following the scheme; check before you pay anything.

Already experienced? Get certified through RPL

If you have looked after children, patients or elders for years without a certificate, Recognition of Prior Learning is for you. It "certifies the skills of individuals who already work in a trade through prior informal learning".⁸ Under PMKVY 4.0, RPL is for ages 18 to 59, with at least 30 hours of training and at most 132 hours, and you need 70% to pass the assessment.¹¹ The home care council says no fee is charged to candidates for RPL.¹²

That is a few weeks, not months, and you come out with the same national certificate.

Paid options, if you want a university certificate

IGNOU, the open university, runs certificate programmes you can study from home, with exam fees extra:¹³

• Certificate in Home Based Health Care: ₹2,900, 10th pass, in Hindi or English.
• Certificate in Home Health Assistance: ₹6,000, 10+2, in English.
• Certificate in Geriatric Care Assistance: ₹6,500, 12th pass with sciences, in English.

Each runs six months to two years.

Where Sevetu fits

Families on Sevetu post nanny, japa, elder care and patient care jobs, and you apply directly. Joining and applying is free, and will stay free, with no agent and no commission. Add any course you have done, with its name and year, to your profile; families do read it. No certificate yet? Your experience, your references and a paid trial count too. See caretaker jobs → · See nanny jobs →

Written by the Sevetu teamSevetu is a hiring marketplace for household work in India, operated by Fiel Private Limited. These guides come from the questions families and workers ask us. Nothing here is sponsored, and where a number has no defensible source we say so instead of inventing one. About Sevetu

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