VISAKHAPATNAM: Industrialists and academicians unanimously stressed the need to make internship of 6-12 months mandatory for all professional courses during a brainstorming session on ‘Industry-Academia Partnership for Growth’ organised by the CII Viskahapatnam Zone here Wednesday. They pointed out that most graduates were not industry-ready, which is making them qualified but unemployable.
Speaking on the occasion, Andhra University vice-chancellor GSN Raju admitted that most of the memoranda of understanding signed between academic institutions and the industry are ineffective as there is no proper follow up from the industry. He called for a better interaction between the industry and academia. “As a step in this direction, the industry can take on board qualified faculty as consultants and give them some live problems for solving,” he said. He suggested implementing the Arunachal Pradesh model of having all education institutions on the same campus, with shared faculty.
IBM Knowledge Centre Visakhapatnam head Ramakrishan explained the company’s global remote mentoring programme where short-term projects are given to selected colleges with specific deliverables. He said that such initiatives could help students gain hands-on experience and learn the ways of industry work.
Speakers at the interactive session also pointed out unavailability of industry seniors for mentoring interns as a major issue and sought solutions for it. MVGR College (Vizianagaram) principal KVL Raju felt that the industry could make available some documentation of work processes in live environments, for students who cannot be accommodated as interns.
CII Andhra Pradesh chapter vice-chairman G Shiva Kumar suggested that the state government could also fund the internship of students on the lines of the Board of Apprentice Training programme by the Central Government which can pay the industry to train students. HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao assured the think tanks that the government would seriously consider the suggestions of the industrialists and academicians, including accommodation of industry representatives in the expert committee, on drawing up curriculum to make students industry-ready.
He appreciated the CII for taking up a discussion on the subject and said that the government was keen on making the city a knowledge hub.
CII Visakhapatnam zone chairman Neeraj Sarda, past chairman RVS Raju, vice-chairman Murali Krishna Voona, CII Vijayawada Zone past chairman D Ramakrishna and others were present.