Why do students from colleges affiliated with the University of Delhi intern with companies all through the year? To put it simply, internships offer practical experience along with a platform for a career path.
There are umpteen options in consulting, writing/content writing, operations, marketing, research, social service/NGOs, and so on. With companies such as JSW, Willis Towers Watson, Citi Bank, Teach for India and Asmat NGO offering various opportunities, internships in Delhi colleges happen all through the year with summer and winter internships for two months and one month respectively. There are also internships that students take up alongside their college studies.
Internships have had a facelift due to the growing competition and proficiency of young students. Companies are utilising students’ innovation and intellect. With various internship options on offer and the growing prominence of interns, paid opportunities are on the rise to identify the best possible candidate.
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For instance, a student from Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College for Women has bagged the highest paid internship at the University of Delhi. She will be getting a stipend of Rs.1.4 lakh for two months from the American bank she has joined. Dr. Kanika K. Ahuja, Convener, Placement Cell, LSR College, says, “The company must have noticed her leadership qualities as well as out of the box thinking ability to be able to offer her such a high stipend for an internship.” Likewise, a stipend shows that a student’s skills will be given importance at the company throughout the internship period. The highest paid internship at St. Stephen’s College this year is Rs. 80,000 for a period of two months.
When it comes to profile, money takes a back seat. Students give more importance to a job profile, with money being an added incentive. “Some students who do not come from a well off background give priority to money while interning,” says Novy Kapadia, Convener, Placement Cell, S.G.T.B. Khalsa College. Some prefer to work with good companies in order to have an impressive resume, as bigger companies have a well-structured internship programme where students can learn a lot.
Growing competition has opened up new avenues for the students to take up interesting internships. St. Stephen’s College saw some unique internship opportunities in the field of social service this year. For example, Kitaab, a Delhi-based NGO, has given students an opportunity to associate themselves with the children of the families displaced due to the construction of the Tehri Dam and instil in these children the habit of reading. S.G.T.B. Khalsa College has students taking up internships with the DU Beat, an independent student newspaper created by the students of Delhi University. They also have an opportunity to work as an RJ for the DU Community Radio.
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There are many internship opportunities for science students, too. A company called Core Diagnostics has approached St. Stephen’s College to provide the students of the B.Sc. programme an opportunity to intern at Digital Pathology Library as well as research and development. Bhavya Madan, a B.Sc. (Hons) mathematics student from St. Stephen’s College, has bagged an internship with the global data services team of Willis Towers Watson.
Placement cells play a significant role, too, by providing constant support to the students. A very successful event steered by the LSR college placement cell helped a student secure a scholarship of Rs.1 lakh as well as an internship opportunity with Ernst and Young.
Based on the performance, the students of pre-final or final year get a pre-placement offer (PPO) from the company they interned with.