Why Are Engineering Students Facing Difficulty To Fulfil Internship Requirements?

“Internships are a very important part of our education program, first and foremost. In setting up professional internships, not only will we be able to offer students a chance to work with industry professionals, but the students also will be able to take the theory they learn in the classroom and put it into practice here, in whichever activity they’re focused”- Craig Miller

Thousands of engineering students undergo summer internships each year. The stipend for these internships varies as high as INR 85,000 for companies like Goldman Sachs and Cisco to as low as unpaid internships. 

Why do students pursue internships?

The students undergo these two to three months rigorous internships for multiple reasons:

Why were the students facing difficulty initially?

When COVID-19 struck back in 2020, the Government of India imposed lockdowns which made it impossible for students to undergo internships. The scenario repeated itself again in 2021 when the 2nd wave struck.

The All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) released a circular which instructed all colleges to not force any student to undergo an internship.

But, thanks to the slump in the COVID infections, students have again begun to search for internship opportunities after a gap of 2 years. 

What are the current difficulties?

Even after the resumption of all activities, the students are still facing difficulties in finding internship opportunities. Their candidature for internships is often being rejected by the companies. 

“If there are no signs of revival of the institution-industry interface, the reason has more to do with continued caution exercised by industries to prevent the spread of the infection”, said a senior professor of Anna University.

“On their part, the colleges are prepared to permit students to take up internships, now that the fear of the spread of Omicron variant has subsided”, said a senior functionary of a private engineering college.

The problem is graver if one is to look for opportunities in manufacturing enterprises because of the limited opportunities. The manufacturing companies have reduced their internship vacancies significantly. On the other hand, there has been a steady rise of online internships being offered because of the steady growth in the IT sector.

The AICTE circular of 2020 which on one hand prohibited offline/filed internships encouraged online internships. 

AICTE also recommended that internships will entail earning credits in 2020. The decision was kept at bay 2 years ago but has now gained momentum again which is an added problem for students.

As per the framework of AICTE, a minimum of 14 to 20 credits of Internship/ Entrepreneurial activities/ Project Work/ Seminar and Inter/ Intra Institutional training will be counted for the B.Tech Degree program. In addition to this, summer internships are advised during the summer vacation and part-time internships during the academic session.

This has created a state of urgency for the students who were already finding it difficult to find companies that accept their candidature.

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