Engg students prefer govt organisations for internship

Students pursuing undergraduate engineering courses in the state seem more fascinated about government organisations to do their compulsory internship programmes, than private companies and corporate ones.

Under the compulsory programme, students have to find internship for one month in their sixth and seventh semester. This year, most students preferred government institutions like Public Works Department (PWD), HAL, BHEL, e-governance department and BEL.

Though some private/corporate companies offer stipend along with certificate during the internship, students are attracted towards government organisations. According to faculty in engineering colleges who are mentoring students, this is mainly because of the exposure they get for a variety of projects and the heavy equipment available with government institutions and also considering job opportunities in future.

Prof Ravishankar, senior faculty department of industrial engineering at BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru, said, “Students have to find internships on their own and this year, many students joined government institutions, specially under civil and mechanical stream. This is definitely good for them when it comes to exposure, as government departments have a variety of projects with high investment.”

Dr K N Subramanya, principal of RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru, feels, “If a student from civil engineering branch joins Public Works Department or a student of mechanical branch joins HAL for internship, the exposure and experience they get is extraordinary. As most major projects are handled by government departments, it is a perfect platform for students to learn.”

During the one-month compulsory internship programme, students get attendance from the college. Soon after the completion of the project, they must submit reports to the institution where they did the internship and also to the college, along with the certificate provided by the institution.

As there were allegations that students are not going for internships and are buying project reports from the market, colleges made it mandatory for students to submit the internship offer letter from the companies/departments they select. A weekly review is also done to track their attendance for internship.

Prof H N Jagannath Reddy, former registrar, Visvesvaraya Technological University and senior faculty of civil engineering department at Bengaluru Institute of Technology, said, “There will a faculty to coordinate with students during their internship. If they are irregular, they should give explanation and it will impact their attendance.”

Rahul M Bogase, a student from Revana Siddeshwara College of Engineering, Bengaluru, who did his internship at HAL, said, “I have learnt a lot from my internship. As I had to report at 6.30 am, my routine changed and I am more disciplined now.”

Akshith Awaji, a student of BMS College of Engineering who completed his internship at Public Works Department, said, “If I had opted for a private firm, I would have missed the exposure to projects like road constructions. I advise my juniors to opt for government internships.”

However, students in IT and Computer Science streams have not much options in government bodies and are forced to go for private companies.