Offices responsible for assigning internships in various top-tier and upper-tier engineering schools that ET talked to mentioned that internships, originally scheduled for six months, have now been prolonged by an additional four to six months.
“Companies are more frequently looking for new graduates who have internships in areas like AI/ML, data positions, creating models, and analyzing data,” Munira Loliwala, who oversees strategy and expansion at TeamLease Digital, a staffing services company, explained. “The lack of qualified junior employees has prompted firms to provide longer internship periods, increasing the chances of employing candidates through internal management training programs.”
KS Shridhar, the dean of placement and training at PES University in Bengaluru, mentioned a fresh trend that has come to the forefront this year. Traditionally, once students complete their internship period following the final semester of studies, they receive their internship offer letters. However, this year, numerous organizations have prolonged their internship timelines by a few extra months.
Technical services companies are now requiring internships more frequently, and the worldwide flexibility hubs (GCCs) of large corporations are making it mandatory, mentioned Samuel Rajkumar V, the head of the career development center at Vellore Institute of Technology. “It could be an internship combined with job offers, or it could be job offers followed by internships of six months. There are also requests for one-year internships,” he added.
AK Choudhary, who oversees training and job placements at the National Institute of Technology-Jamshedpur, mentioned that the majority of firms were seeking candidates with an internship spanning at least one semester. According to him, the institute permits students to complete their internship during the final semester, as long as the employers furnish them with pre-placement contracts or offer permanent positions, he added.
Shortening internships isn’t the only issue. Salary offers are also getting smaller, as reported by a placement officer at the National Institute of Engineering in Mysuru. Employers are starting to bring back job seekers, but they’re doing so with caution, he mentioned. “Often, students are now going through internships for periods ranging from six to twelve months. Although the basic pay remains unchanged, the ‘Cost to Company’ (CTC) has dropped from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 8.5 lakh. This is because the relocation bonus and additional benefits have been removed.”
However, numerous individuals also value the essential learning that new interns acquire. It offers practical hands-on experience with actual engineering issues and equipment, and effectively connects textbook learning with its real-life application.
“This assists in developing both interpersonal abilities, technical competencies, valuable networking possibilities, exploration of various careers, and understanding of different industries,” stated Savitha Rani M, who is responsible for training and job placement at Bengaluru’s Ramaiah Institute of Technology.
Dipti Lodha, the head of corporate relationships at the company located in Jaipur, which manages three engineering schools and one university, noted that information technology firms were regularly encountering a problem. Despite students achieving excellent grades in their studies, they lacked the necessary skills for the industry. Therefore, these firms would hire these students as interns towards the end of their fourth year for a duration of 6 to 9 months. “In many situations, these internships act as a final interview process, as more than 95% of the students are offered positions after completing their internship,” she mentioned.
Merin Stephen, who serves as a placement officer at Reva University, mentioned that a significant number of students do not secure internships, and the selection process is determined by how well they perform and the specific requirements of the internship positions.
Shridhar, from PES University, mentioned that the intern stipend provided this year varied between Rs 15,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh.
“Although our initial progress was quite sluggish, we managed to secure several placements towards the latter of the year and successfully accommodate over 1,000 students,” explained Shridhar. “Candidate selections for the 2024 cohort commenced in August and continue. Currently, there are approximately 250-300 students still in the process, though some might have opted for further academic endeavors.”
A latest TeamLease analysis on salary differences among fresh graduates in the GCC, non-tech and tech sectors noted: “In GCCs, tech roles for fresh graduates come with higher pay because these employers follow international norms, require specific technical abilities, and face strong competition. On the other hand, roles in non-tech sectors tend to pay less, reflecting the belief that new tech graduates might not have the necessary experience or practical skills for the job market. The IT sector, however, provides salaries that are moderate, not excessive or insufficient.”
-Supplemental reporting provided by Sreeradha Basu
