The India Skills Report 2021 in collaboration with AICTE and CII and AIU highlights that only 45.9% of the country’s youth are considered employable. The top two reasons given are skill mismatch and quality skill gap. As a recruitment partner, we often deal with complaints about the employability of young talent in the country. The common refrain is that there is a gap between what is taught in schools (including colleges) and what the industry wants.
While there are many things that need to be done to address this gap, by different stakeholders, what can we do as a business to address this problem?
India Skills Report 2023 said 89% of graduates were actively seeking internship opportunities. Internshala, reports that 76,000 students applied to intern every day in 2021. This is a very small number when you consider the number of students graduating every year.
Therefore, one possible and relatively easy way is to give internship opportunities to students. These can range from 6 weeks to 6 months or even a year. Part-time or full-time paid or unpaid.
The benefits Internships give to students are many. It exposes students to the actual way an organization functions, gives them an opportunity to apply what they have learnt in a practical environment also gives them a real idea about the expectations of prospective employers. It also helps students in building a network and in some cases even deciding what they would like to do or not do.
For an organization, the biggest benefit is that you are building an environment in which you operate – by orienting talent to business. When hiring a fresher out of college, internship exposure may help in the selection of the right candidates. Interns can also be a prospective hiring pool. Intern’s approach to the tasks assigned, their learning curve and their impression of the organization, role, and its demands can be easily assessed. Other benefits include getting help with certain tasks and assignments.
Of course, the social benefits- Giving back to society is also something that is achieved.
So, go ahead and try an internship today!