Apart from helping students gain industry knowledge by way of real-time experience, internships provide them an opportunity to assess their own abilities and talents. The immense possibility of networking, making professional contacts, and possible job openings are added benefits.
Now, students of arts, science and humanities, realising the multiple benefits internships offer, have started taking them seriously. “Students are beginning to understand the value and importance of internships, and of late we have undergraduate students who are showing great interest in taking up internships,” says G. Rani, principal, SDNB Vaishnav College for Women, Chromepet, Chennai. The college is encouraging students to take up internships by giving them extra credits.
Hands-on experience in the industry chosen, real-life situations, and faster learning and understanding are major advantages of student internships for arts and humanities students.
“Meaningful internship in relevant fields can surely accelerate the career path of students,” says Alexander Jesudasan, principal of Madras Christian College, Tambaram. MCC's History students intern at the Government Museum or with the Department of Archaeology, and Political Science students at USIS and other agencies, he adds.
Sarvesh Madhu Agrawal, founder of internshala.com, says there are diverse opportunities for arts and science students — content writing, market research to name a few.
“Now the new trend is that students are taking up internships throughout the year. They work from home using technologies like mail, skype, chat and so on. And during the summer , they continue this by joining and working with organisations full-time,” says Mr. Sarvesh.
There are various think-tanks that need students for their research work. Besides this, NGOs, media companies are on the look-out for students throughout the year, says Mr. Sarvesh. While summer internship is mandatory for PG students and credits are given to this activity, it is not mandatory for UG students. But they can still undergo internship and benefit by it. In most colleges, English literature students are asked to intern at newspaper offices and gain some exposure in journalism.
Students of Social Work closely interact with Madras School of Social Work and Commerce students get trained in various business enterprises. While students with internship experience have an edge during recruitment, this alone does not guarantee placement. “Companies like Goldman Sachs, Ernst & Young, and publishing houses offer internships to our students. But the numbers are limited and not everyone gets an opportunity,” says Sarala Vasu, placement coordinator, Stella Maris College.
“Whether it is a small or big company, it is important for students to grab the opportunity, as it is a definite value addition. International firms look for interns during November and December when their workload is more. But the academic calendar is such that students have examinations at this time and are free only in summer,” she adds. For students, a stint in a corporate set-up gives them a lot of exposure to the work environment and an opportunity to put theory into practice.
Anusha, a PG student of Madras School of Social Work, is doing her internship in an IT firm. “A large part of the learning happens in the industry. At the UG level though, companies that accept us for internships do not give us any responsibility as they think a general understanding of the way the industry works is enough. We are not put in a particular department, while the internship at the PG level has helped me understand how a department woks,” she says.
Mithula Naik took a one-year sabbatical after her Plus Two and underwent training in an advertisement agency and at an artist's studio before taking up a course in design. “The internship helped me sharpen my sketching skills and provided an understanding of arts and its application in industry,” she says.
Is there support and focus in colleges for students to take up internships? “Often, the colleges focus on placements and leave students to figure out internship on their own. But in recent times, some companies are interested in hiring students who have done well in the internships. If such a shift happens in placements, colleges would also start paying more attention to internships,” says Mr. Sarvesh.
