Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has revised the entitlement of trainees for trainers, including Company Secretaries in Practice, corporate trainers, and LLPs, effective from April 1, 2025. The updated guidelines establish trainee limits based on experience levels for individual Company Secretaries in Practice, ranging from zero for those with less than a year’s experience to a maximum of 12 for those practicing for over 20 years. If a Company Secretary resumes practice after surrendering their Certificate of Practice (COP), they retain the previous trainee entitlement.
For corporate trainers, the number of trainees allowed varies based on the type of entity, with NIFTY 50 companies allowed a maximum of 15 trainees, top 500 listed companies 10, other listed companies 5, and unlisted/SME listed companies 2. Government regulatory bodies like SEBI, NSE, RBI, and MCA can collectively train up to 40 trainees, while corporate trainers outside India are permitted a maximum of 10 trainees.
For LLPs, those registered as PCS firms with ICSI can train up to 2 trainees or as per individual entitlements. LLPs meeting specific financial and membership criteria can train up to 2 trainees, while LLPs in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) can train up to 5. These changes will apply prospectively from April 1, 2025, ensuring a structured training approach for CS students.
THE INSTITUTE OF
Company Secretaries of India
31st March 2025
Important Announcement
!! Attention Trainers & CS Students !!
Revised Entitlement of Trainees for Trainers (Company Secretary in Practice/Corporate Trainers/Other Entities/LLPs) registered with the Institute for imparting Long Term Practical Training to CS Students w.e.f. 1st April, 2025
The Institute has approved the following changes in Entitlement of trainees for Trainers (Company Secretary in Practice/Corporate Trainers/Other Entities/LLPs) registered with the Institute for imparting long term practical training to CS students:
A) Company Secretary in Practice: A trainer would be eligible to impart training from the date of his/her registration with the Institute for imparting training.
| Sl. No | Years of Experience | Entitlement of No. of Trainees |
| 1 | Less than 1 | Nil |
| 2 | 1-2 | 1 |
| 3 | 3-5 | 3 |
| 4 | 6-10 | 5 |
| 5 | 11-15 | 8 |
| 6 | 16-20 | 10 |
| 7 | Above 20 Years of Experience (Maximum Limit) | 12 |
| Note- If the Company Secretary in Practice surrenders his/her COP and starts his practice after a gap, he/she shall be entitled to have the same number of trainees as he/she was entitled when he surrendered his COP. | ||
B) Corporate Trainers/Other Entities
| Sl. No |
Types of Entities |
Max No.
of Trainees |
| 1 | NIFTY 50 companies | 15 |
| 2 | Top 500 Listed companies | 10 |
| 3 | Other Listed companies | 5 |
| 4 | Unlisted companies/SME listed | 2 |
| 5 | Other Entities-Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) & its offices (i.e., Registrar of Companies (ROC), Regional Director (RD) & office of Official Liquidators (OL) etc., SEBI, NSE, BSE, IRDA, RBI, ICSI & It’s Offices
[all offices combined] |
40 |
| 6 | Corporate Trainers outside India | 10 |
C) LLPs:
| Sl. No | Type of LLPs | Max No. of Trainees |
| 1 | Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)- Registered with ICSI as PCS Firm: An LLP where all its partners shall be the members of the ICSI | 2 Trainees OR as per entitlement in individual capacity.
Both provisions cannot be availed simultaneously. |
| 2 | Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)- An LLP having not less than half of its partners as members of ICSI and having net worth or capital contribution or turnover of not less than Rs 5 Crores and the same LLP shall not be registered with other professional bodies like ICAI, ICMA or any bar Council. | Maximum 2 Trainees |
| 3 | Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City)- LLP- | Upto 5 Trainees |
The above eligibility criteria shall be effective 01st April 2025, without any retrospective effect.
Directorate of Training, The ICSI
