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HYDERABAD: Engineering graduates in the city will have to take up internships from this academic year with the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) tying up with the industry to make students employable. The move comes a day after TOI reported findings of a study that revealed that engineering graduates in the city are the least employable.The AICTE recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Internshaala, an online internship and training platform. Now, all AICTE-approved institutes have to register students on the website and encourage them to seek internships.“The internships have been made mandatory so that students are industry-ready before they join employees. Students will get better exposure that will enhance their technical, communication and managerial skills,“ said Dr Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman of AICTE.

As per the MoU, Internshaala will help students find internships as well as provide counselling and guidance. Nearly 75% students of AICTE-approved institutes will have to be enrolled on the internship portal.

In 2016-17, over four lakh internships (across different streams) were listed on Internshala with an average stipend of Rs 7,500per month.

While the AICTE has mandated internships, college managements in the city have expressed concerns.

“Finding internships for engineering students is an uphill task since a majority of top companies do not take interns due to client confidentiality norms. Engineering students then end up pursuing internships in smaller firms through references,“ said NLN Reddy , placement officer at Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology , adding that the regulatorybody makes certain guidelines mandatory without consulting engineering colleges. Students pursuing civil, me chanical and electronics engineering struggle to find internships, members of other college managements. “If we enrol all our students on Internshaala portal, then the AICTE must ensure that students irrespective of their area of study find an internship. Since majority internships are on offer in the information technology sector, there is little scope for students from other sectors,“ said a placement officer of a private engineering college.

Moving ahead, the AICTE is planning to mandate an industry consultation committee to rework the curriculum of each subject taught in technical institutions. This process is expected to be put in place from next year onwards.

