BHUBANESWAR: Welcoming the ambitious internship scheme and skill training announced by Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2024-25 on Tuesday, experts here termed it as an innovative move in creating a skilled workforce and promoting employability.
They said the internship will provide students with hands-on experience essential in today’s competitive job market. Under the new scheme, Sitharaman announced that interns will receive an allowance of Rs 5,000 per month besides a one-time assistance of Rs 6,000. The companies involved will cover the training costs and 10 per cent of the internship costs from their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds. This apart, around 20 lakh youths will be provided skill training in the next five years and 1,000 ITIs developed in hub and spoke model.
With around four lakh students from Odisha having diploma and degree certificates in the field of technical education and higher education entering the job market, Skill Development and Technical Education (SDTE) officials said the initiatives will create new opportunity for them to enhance their employment prospects.
“The internship programme is definitely a good opportunity as it will help students gain the much-needed exposure to enhance their employability,” said state Technical Education director Reghu G.
Vice-chancellor of XIM University Tony R Uvary said internship provision in top companies with stipend will improve students’ employability and contribute to industrial growth of the country. “The government’s intent of skilling 20 lakh youths over a period of five years is also commendable as it will contribute to nation’s skill development agenda meaningfully,” he added lauding the move of linking training costs incurred by companies with their CSR spending.
SAI International Education Group chairperson Silpi Sahoo said, “Internship chances at 500 leading companies for one crore students during a five-year period coupled with an internship allowance of Rs 5,000 per month and a one-time aid of Rs 6,000 will offer invaluable exposure and professional experience to the youth of India.” XIM media and external linkages coordinator Dipak Kumar Khuntia said encouraging top companies to participate in the initiative will ensure high-quality training and exposure of youths.