Now, Internship Shops Open!

 

We know the capacity of market forces to rise to the occasion and cash in on emerging trends, and they do not spare academics either. The DTP industry, which has long minted money by offering customised undergraduate and postgraduate projects, proved early on that the market is always alert to opportunities opened up by academia. The same vigour was (and still is) displayed by firms offering what is euphemistically termed consultancy, ostensibly to help educational institutions ace accreditation. Now, to that list, we may add Internship Shops, as the FYUGP has made internships mandatory. These shops are already opening in Kerala.

A recent example of the academisation of internships involved a group of students from an Arts and Science college spending a couple of days in a Management Institute attending soft-skills sessions. Interestingly, this short period of activity-oriented classroom training was labelled an internship, I later learned. Basic communication skills, presentation tips, and similar topics—barely different from routine coursework—were repackaged as an internship simply because they occurred in a different context and mode.

This is not to argue that HEIs cannot offer internships (the norms conditionally permit it), but to question what exactly is being packaged as an internship. The essential transition a meaningful internship offers—the move into a real work environment—is here replaced by a reception-focused classroom experience or lab-oriented exercise with little assurance of genuine participation or professional exposures. An internship promises certain takeaways, and the concern is whether these will survive this watered-down model.

Will internships go the same way as student projects?

When the CBCS system was introduced, a major component was the capstone project for both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. It was later made optional because of widespread complaints about poor execution. With minor exceptions, most student projects lacked application, originality, and analytical strength. The model ended up boosting the DTP industry, with shop-wallahs selling projects across the state, even maintaining a network that would transfer a project from one end of the State to the other, with changed covers. For this, many faculty supervisors place the blame on students who “copy and paste.” Yet when every batch includes many diligent, capable learners, how is it that teachers could not guide more of them to produce work both student and supervisor could be proud of? The question now is: Will internships follow the same trajectory?

A quality internship undoubtedly provides workplace orientation and early exposure to career-aligned challenges. This early peep into workplace realities helps students assess themselves in terms of hierarchy, workflow, communication strategies, accountability, work ethics, self-discipline, and professional conduct. A young undergraduate may not be fully ready for such challenges, but there is enormous learning in striving towards workplace readiness through relevant internship experiences.

However, if internships are compromised through academisation—converted into convenient, easily deliverable packets of classroom sessions, training programmes, and low-level or unrelated work—the whole point is lost. The market knows that there are not enough real workplace spaces for all graduates to intern and is getting ready to make a killing by selling simulations instead of experiences.

Workplace exposure reveals to students the real standards of work and interaction—with colleagues, customers, superiors, or bureaucrats. It helps refine their understanding of work culture, far removed from textbook ideas. Real work spiaces are complex; they force a recalibration of what students have absorbed from their courses. Understanding how one’s work is valued and what level of interaction is expected is invaluable learning.

There is much emphasis on skills today, and rightly so—as long as we remember that skills alone do not make a career. The way skills are taught in controlled classroom environments is vastly different from how they must be applied in real workplaces: under pressure, within deadlines, and in less-than-ideal conditions. An internship is often the student’s first encounter with this shift, where skill application becomes part of a larger behavioural repertoire.

A good internship space also allows young interns to observe role models. A sustained stay enables them to watch how professionals function—how they communicate, manage teams, solve problems, inspire change, motivate workers, and negotiate challenges. Unlike curated coursework, the real world offers authentic models for young people to learn from. This is also where they realise that an internship is a powerful networking opportunity.

Often, internships become testing grounds for students. Some may have been gently pushed into certain roles by academics, parents, or their own unrealistic self-assessment. Others may have chosen a role on a whim or simply to accompany a friend. A serious internship holds up a mirror: Are they truly suited to this role? Early exposure to real demands helps them realign their career path—or even switch—saving them from being locked into an ill-fitting role for life.

For this to happen, both interns and faculty must be clear about expected outcomes—what skills are to be strengthened, what behaviours are to be cultivated, and what self-insights the experience should spark. This clarity is crucial.

Where quality internship opportunities are scarce, the seeker has two options: to search rigorously and secure a meaningful placement, or to drift into whatever comes their way. Even if, after much effort, the ideal internship does not materialise, a determined intern can still make the most of what they get. But they must recognise that the many Internship Shops popping up—keen to cash in on demand—are merely training centres masquerading as industries.

Even when circumstances push students to choose an educational institution for their internship, they must remain alert to what it truly offers. I have seen students interning in their own college’s IQAC cell, spending months aligning documents, taking printouts, designing presentations, and assembling files. Such internships offer nothing substantial on the path to a meaningful, rewarding career. Learning on the job is not always learning the job!

There are ways in which HEIs and faculty members can help young interns choose the right institution. The key is to:

1. Help students curate a list of trustworthy institutions.

2. Ensure potential interns possess strong, presentable credentials.

3. Create awareness of what the benefits of a good internship experience look like.

4. Keep in touch with interns during the internship and act as mentors.

5. Alert them to potential red flags.

6. Train them to clarify what they expect to take away from the experience.

7. Emphasise the advantage of journalling and reflective writing.

8. Reinforce the need to set ethical standards for oneself.

Since internship experiences will vary across HEIs, the quality of internship support an institution can offer will significantly influence enrolment in the years to come.

- Babu. P. K., Ph D