With the number of students who choose engineering as their career being on the rise over the past couple of decades, making the students stand out and excel at their choice becomes an imperative of the present day. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) decided to make three internships, each of 4-8 week duration mandatory for engineering undergraduates to facilitate the achievements of a few goals, the primary goal being easy employability.
What does it mean at the institute level?
AICTE has made it the responsibility of each educational institute offering engineering courses to mandate these three internships and helping them find suitable industries to complete their internships from.
The apex has also made it mandatory for the teachers to undergo an annual refresher course offered at the SWAYAM portal.
Every student, at the time of admission, is required to go through formal induction training to reinforce the fundamental concepts and skills required for technical education.
What are the prime goals of the mandatory internship?
Why internship and how to choose the right one for you?
Focus on excelling in the field that you have chosen - Keeping in mind, the chosen engineering degree, one can choose an internship programme that is the same line so that they can enhance their learning and experience in the particular field of engineering. This will ensure suitable employability which is in line with the course that the student has graduated in.
Keep your options open – The goal of taking up an internship should not be whether or not you are being paid for it. The need to choose a company that offers either a great work experience or a higher probability of a job after the completion of internship, is critical.
Be in the know – Not all companies offering great internship opportunities send out advertisements. Sending out your resumes with a covering letter explaining the kind of opportunity sought out for goes a long way in finding yourself in the right place. This also gives a student an edge over getting into companies that do not usually offer internships but an extra initiative from the student can gain entry.
An opportunity to network – Internships give adequate opportunities to build professional networks and connections. This in turn, can help students get future referrals, recommendations and testimonials for a desired job role. Professional networking can also facilitate sharing of business ideas and collaborations.
See it as a learning experience – When choosing an internship, a student not only gets in-depth knowledge and work experience in a specific field, but also a deeper understanding of how to work in a team, communication skills, management skills, meeting deadlines, punctuality and leadership. The goal should be all-round learning and development.
A scope for learning from mistakes – Internship offers the perfect opportunity for learning from possible mistakes during the training period. Taking suggestions from mentors can help them gain more practical knowledge and help them transition into being a skilled professional while moving on to a permanent job role. This helps them understand their strengths and weaknesses and appropriately work on them.
