Special Class Railway Apprentice (SCRA) was a programme by which candidates are selected by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) India, to train in the undergraduate program in mechanical engineering at the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jamalpur.
[3] The Special Class Railway Apprentice (SCRA) program is one of the country's first engineering examination, and admissions have been hotly contested, with as many as 2,500,000 candidates[citation needed] taking the entrance examination, now conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), for about 20 to 30 seats.
After successful completion of four years' training, they are absorbed into the highest-level leadership program in the Railway organization (also called Group A Officers).
The alumni of the Institute at Jamalpur have been an integral part of the Railways' evolution by providing high quality technical managers.
A large number of SCRAs have been General Managers and Principal Heads of Departments in the Indian Railways and its sister organizations like RITES, COFMOW, CRIS, etc.