AICTE internship portal expands offers for non-technical students – Times of India

To help students from any academic background, accentuate their theoretical knowledge and get a hand in practical learning, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has introduced fresh guidelines for technical as well non-technical students. The AICTE launched an internship portal (internship.aicte-india.org) in 2019 to help the fresh graduates, however, there is a fresh attempt to increase the internship opportunities by the government.

Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced 1 lakh internship opportunities on the portal, which has brought momentum.

Talking to the
Education Time, Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman, AICTE says, “In 2019, which was the initial phase of the portal, there was low onboarding of students and participation of the companies, which affected the internship placement performance. With not much headway in recruiters supporting the portal, AICTE was focussing on tapping them. This year, we had mapped several MNCs who are keen to offer Pre-Placement Offer (PPO) to competent interns.”
AICTE has been collaborating with several industries, training institutions, government bodies and ministries in India and abroad has set the ball rolling, added Sahasrabudhe.

Tapping, mapping more recruiters

“An MoU with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) will offer paid stipend ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs35000. Numerous projects are carried out in rural to urban areas including interior villages to metro cities where job roles related to customer relations to insurance, roads to architecture are being run by MoHUA,” adds Sahasrabuddhe. AICTE’s MoU with the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) is another achievement that will open opportunities for graduates from non-technical streams.

To increase the traction of the portal, more than 15 lakh internships have been added by Salesforce, RSB Transmission, CISCO, Infosys, Indian Knowledge System Division, Mahatma Gandhi National Council for Rural Education (MGNCRE), Ziegler Aerospace etc.

Expanding internship mandate

AICTE has expanded its reach by offering several internships for students with certificate courses. MNCs have several departments that are involved in customer relationships management, and specialised tool procurement that demand candidates with soft skills.“ There is a demand for skilled workforce in all the allied sectors. This sector offers internships for students from commerce and arts streams. Though the number is limited right now, it will look up in the coming time,” adds Sahasrabuddhe.

Several students with problem-solving techniques and critical analysis from varied streams studying in open universities are also getting internship offers.

Adding to academic credentials

Students are allowed to intern at enterprises working in innovation, entrepreneurship, NGO, project work, seminar, and institutional training.

Sahasrabudhe says, “A minimum of 14-20 credits of the internship is awarded for BTech programs and 10-14 credits for three-year diploma courses. The evaluation of the internship is undertaken by an assigned faculty supervisor based on the surprise site visit and intern’s ability to diligently answer the asked questions.”