Guidelines for Internship/Research Internship for Under Graduate Students

The India Skill Report (ISR), 2022 highlights that youth employability has improved to 46.2 % in 2021 from 45.97% till 2020. Interestingly, 51.44% employability of females was observed compared to 45.97% of males for 2021-22. In the year 2023, undergraduates in domain of the commerce got the highest employability rating at about 60.62%. The reports further mentioned that, 88.6% of graduates are looking for internship opportunities. In 2022, 88.42% of respondents in the report have given preference to an internship for gaining experience. It was also recorded that the year 2022 was also the year to mark the highest demand for internships since 2016. It is also observed that in India employers like to hire employees having at least a year of working experience (ISR, 2022).

In accordance with the NEP-2020, the UGC framed a new student-centric “Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes” (CCFUP) incorporating a flexible choice-based credit system, multiple entry and exit options, and a multidisciplinary approach. In an internship course students require to participate in a work experience or professional activity, or cooperative education activity with an entity external to the education institution, under the supervision of an expert from the given external entity. A prime aspect of the internship/research internship is induction into actual work situations. Internships includes working with government or private organizations, higher education institutions, universities, research and development labs/research organisations/non-government organisations, enterprises, centres involved in research, innovativeness and entrepreneurship, business organizations, local industry, artists, craftspeople, and similar other entities for providing opportunities to students for active engagement in on-site experiential learning.

OBJECTIVES

An internship is gaining first-hand experience by an individual besides comprehending the way of working in an organisation, leading to improve the skill aptitude for a specific job or job role and building research capabilities with learning opportunities. Internships should be such organized that benefits the research intern as well as the internship providing organization. Following are the intended objectives of engaging undergraduate students in internship for employability and research internship programmes:

1.Integration of workshop with workplace: To see the internship in a broader, integrated and holistic manner where the delivery of the classroom is aligned with outcomes of the workplace. The objectives of the internship need to be designed with the intention of integrating workshop / classroom / lab/research lab learnings with the workplace (organisation / enterprise / start-ups / corporate / farmlands / artisans / gig workers / non-government organisations (NGOs)/research & development organisations, higher education institutions (HEIs), etc).

2. Understanding of the world of work: To provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to improve their understanding of the experiences, challenges, and opportunities of the real world of work, as well as to set their expectations and behaviour in accordance with the demands, culture, and values of current and emerging jobs.

3. Phygital and hybrid model learning: To broaden learning opportunities by combining physical and digital modes of learning while working in industry, corporate, research & development organisations, workplace, within or outside HEIs, blended with a mentor or research expert and as per the need and convenience.

 4. Developing research aptitude: To create and facilitate conditions that allow students in their quest for knowledge, its discovery, learn, understand and sharpen research acumen, familiarising with analytical tools and techniques with appropriate usage, research methodologies, data analysis, integrity and ethical behaviour, manuscripts preparations, identification of appropriate journals, patent and intellectual property rights, and their application in solving research/complex/real-life problems.

5. Exposure in emerging technologies: To provide exposure to emerging technologies/ automation and how it can support, facilitate, improve and reinforce work processes/ culture/ job roles/art and craft, including the traditional areas of art-craft/ heritage skills, agriculture, etc.

 6. Enhance entrepreneurial capabilities: Understand how organisations / enterprises are formed for sustainable progress so that start-ups and entrepreneurial capabilities are strengthened among students and they are encouraged to be job creators.

7. Development of decision-making and teamwork skills: To facilitate the development of problem-solving and decision-making skills, enable teamwork & collaboration culture to promote research, academic and professional developments.

8. Cultivate a sense of Social Imagery and Citizenship Responsibility: To develop a sense of social imagery (issues) and philanthropic versatility among the graduating students that will facilitate towards the development of an attitude towards citizenship responsibility.

9. Stimulate collaborative influence: To promote HEIs collaboration, industry academia partnership will be developed to provide collaborative internships, apprenticeships, and research opportunities to the students in the predefined areas of importance which will lead institutions, universities, organisations, academicians, and students to collaborate on how to learn with one another.

10. Enhancing professional competency: The internship should not only focus on employability or research capabilities; there is also a need for professional principles, ethics, values, and integrity which will enable them to gain perspective, practice, develop as competency and perform professional tasks in the way that the employment market demands.

The internship programs should be well conceptualized and interactive for building research capabilities/aptitude/skills of our under-graduates/researchers/faculties for

1. Development of project and its execution
2. Decision-making
3. Confidence development
4. Working/coordinating in a team
5. Creative and critical thinking and problem-solving
6. Ethical values
7. Professional development
8. Understand government/local bodies world of work
9. Reference of resource persons in the field
10. Development of online/simulation-based module for a virtual research internship
11. Understanding the nuances of building a deep-technology start-up
12. Study certain entrepreneurs
13. Study of the enterprises, farmers, artisans, etc.

Industrial regions/clusters may include those places where industries have concentrated as a result of favourable geo-economic circumstances. These are places where a sizable portion of the populace works in the manufacturing area, which operates on a sizable scale. There are indicative clusters identified at central, state, micro and local government/administration levels and HEIs at their own level can identify and also go beyond these clusters for internships. Further, there are certain verticals that HEIs may incorporate as options while choosing a sector by a student while making registration and undergoing an internship/research internship.

The list is indicative only.

1. Trade and Agriculture Area
2. Economy & Banking Financial Services and Insurance Area
3. Logistics, Automotive & Capital Goods Area
4. Fast Moving Consumer Goods & Retail Area
5. Information Technology/Information Technology enabled Services & Electronics Area
6. Handcraft, Art, Design & Music Area
7. Healthcare & Life Science Area
8. Sports, Wellness and Physical Education Area
9. Tourism & Hospitality Area
10. Digitisation & Emerging Technologies (Internet of Things/Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning/Deep Learning/Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, etc.) Area
11. Humanitarian, Public Policy and Legal Service Area
12. Communication Area
13. Education Area
14. Sustainable Development Area
15. Environment Area
16. Commerce, Medium and Small-Scale Industries Area

BENEFITS OF INTERNSHIP:

1.3.1 Benefits to the Industry

• Availability of ready-to-contribute candidates for employment.
• Year-round source of highly motivated pre-professionals.
• Students bring new perspectives to problem-solving.
• Visibility of the organization is increased on campus.
• Quality candidates available for temporary or seasonal positions and projects.
• Freedom for industrial staff to pursue more creative projects.
• Availability of flexible, cost-effective workforce not requiring a long-term employer commitment.
• Proven, cost-effective way to recruit and evaluate potential employees.
• Enhancement of employer’s image in the community by contributing to the educational enterprise.

1.3.2 Benefits to Students:

• An opportunity to get hired by the industry/organization.
• Practical experience in an organizational setting.
• Excellent opportunity to see how the theoretical aspects learned in classes are integrated into the practical world.
• On-floor experience provides much more professional experience, which is often worth more than classroom teaching.
• Helps them decide if the industry and the profession is the best career option to pursue.
• Opportunity to learn new skills and supplement knowledge.
• Opportunity to practice communication and teamwork skills.
• Opportunity to learn strategies like time management, multi-tasking, etc., in an industrial setup.
• Opportunity to meet new people and learn networking skills.
• Makes a valuable addition to their resume.
• Enhances their candidacy for higher education.
• Creating networks and social circles and developing relationships with industry people.
• Provides an opportunity to evaluate the organization before committing to a full-time position.

1.3.3 Benefits to the Institute:

• Build industrial relations.
• Makes the placement process easier.
• Improve institutional credibility and branding.
• Helps in retention of the students.
• Curriculum revision can be made based on feedback from industry/students.
• Improvement in the teaching-learning process.