NEW DELHI: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her budget speech last week that the Centre is planning an internship scheme for engineers with urban local bodies.
However, officials in the Union Human Resources Development Ministry said that the contours of the scheme are yet to be worked out.
Officials in the ministry and All India Council for Technical Education also pointed out that the plan could be an extension of an initiative by the All India Council for Technical Education to promote quality engineering training at private institutions across the country.
After making it mandatory for all B Tech students in the country to undergo internship in 2017, the Council has also assumed the role of a facilitator to get more government departments, companies and industries to open their doors for engineers in training.
While nearly ten lakh students get engineering degrees every year, only about 3 lakh completed internships during their 4-year long programme before 2017.
“Internships are necessary for students and help them improvise on soft skills, entrepreneurial and leadership abilities, team spirit and societal commitment, besides exposure in their chosen fields,” Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman, AICTE, said.
He added that the declaration by the FM could mean a special budgetary provision towards the scheme.
“Alternately, funds may be provided to government offices offering internships or stipend could be given to students through direct cash transfer. The details of the announcement are not clear yet,” he added.
The initiative is set to benefit students from all streams of engineering. Through the AICTE initiative so far, 1.5 lakh students have registered for internship programmes so far and the providers include Union Ministry of Medium and Small enterprises, National Highways Authority of India and offices of nearly 150 district magistrates, among others.
Neetu Bhagat, deputy director with the AICTE, said that last year, the Council, through the state chief secretaries, had written to all 731 DMs in the country, of which 150 had shown interest.
“Many students have already benefited under this move as the internship experience with government organisations help them understand the planning and implementation of various initiatives of state and central government,” she added.
Collaborations
The AICTE has entered into collaborations with the MSME ministry, NHAI and DM offices in 150 districts to facilitate internships for students.
Supporting organisations
Interbnshal, Hiremee, Miles Education, Faces, Triedge, Letzconnect, Proteenlife, Wemake scholar, Allevare academy private limited, Vmware IT Academy are some of the organisations that are helping the AICTE.