E-Paper
Building pathways for India’s youth
This article is authored by Mamta Saikia, one of the 100 Women Achievers of India, education category (2016) and former CEO, Bharti Airtel Foundation.
The Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme (PMIS) carries a vision of magnitude that only India can imagine; creating one crore internship opportunities for the young people of our country, over five years. It creates a bridge between education and employment, and is also a powerful signal to the nation that young people’s aspirations matter. It’s a clarion call for all of us to rise and create structured opportunities exist for them to step into the world of work. The start of this ambitious programme has been made with the top 500 companies of the country.
The first pilot saw an enthusiastic participation, with over 1.27 lakh internship positions posted in Round I, and 1.8 lakhs applicants applied; 82K offers were made; 28k+ offers accepted and at the end of the process around 8.7K+ interns joined various organisations. Round II is ongoing right now with a much higher number of applications and positions. The application numbers speak to the relevance of the scheme and a strong demand matched by a willingness from both government and corporates to engage. Equally important is the fact that the start is being done in a pilot mode, with all stakeholders, be it the government, companies, students, and civil society, gathering key learnings in the process. Especially post these pilots, every insight gathered would offer a unique opportunity to refine the programme.
This scheme matters for India. Given India’s young population, we need to create formal pathways to employment and entrepreneurship. Internships are more than training and learning opportunities; they are also confidence-building experiences. For a first-generation learner from a village or a small town, to get an opportunity to work in a corporate office or a modern manufacturing unit, would be an exceptional experience. It can be transformational, if handled well with structured training formats, mentoring, hand holding as well as empathy.
As PMIS would steadily witness the shift from lakhs of young people completing internships to moving into meaningful jobs or entrepreneurships in the future, the impact on the country would be enormous. Each successful placement would instil confidence in families, place role models in communities, and generate hope that opportunities exist for all.
Having worked with rural, underprivileged children and young people for nearly three decades, and having seen their challenges first hand, I believe that there are a few barriers that young people will have to overcome to access the scheme fully. Financial constraints, given the fact that for many interns, relocation cost, travel and living costs would mean additional support from parents, which may feel burdensome to the intern. Perhaps a shorter-tern internship may be more feasible. Distance and safety, travel and housing are practical barriers, especially for young women. A scheme card offering discounted fares, or low-cost safe housing supported by companies, could be a positive step. Many students have never worked in structured environments before and would lack confidence. A program with inbuilt mentorship, employee “buddy” programmes, and micro-credentials that certify new competencies would be a great support. This would also appeal to parents as they would be reassured of some kind of certification which is valid in the job-market, even if the job conversion is not possible for all students.
As is evident from the large number of candidates registering, the challenge is not lack of aspiration. If some of the friction points are reduced, the young people would definitely make full use of this excellent opportunity created and find ways to be productive citizens of the country.
The scheme pilots underway are already adding tremendous value to implementation process for the corporate houses. There are learnings available from some of the good practices already being established. It would be valuable to study the students who did join the internship with various corporate, in the first pilot. What made it feasible for them as compared to the students who couldn’t join in spite of the offers made? Was it stay or living expenses support from the company, guidance from mentors, a clear post-internship pathway or something else? Understanding these enablers can shape some processes or policies that can be incorporated in future. Similarly, companies that experimented with onboarding processes, training or mentorship modules could share their approaches with peers. A community of practice among employers could help standardise minimum readiness outcomes, thus ensuring every intern leaves with not just experience, but a recognised skills.
For a programme of this magnitude, it is important that a supportive ecosystem must expand beyond the top 500 companies. Local MSMEs, supported with light training and NGO facilitation, could host smaller batches of interns closer to students’ homes. This localisation would reduce travel costs, living costs and more importantly, enable more young women to participate. Over time, chambers of commerce, employment exchanges, and job fairs could align around the scheme, creating a loop where internships lead to jobs, entrepreneurship groups, or further training.
Post the second phase is also completed, points of reflection around the various moments of truth from awareness to applications stage to joining the internship programme would add tremendous value to how each stakeholder can improve their role in the scheme for better impact. At some stage, this needs to be followed up with studying the life-cycle of interns staying the course and life after completion i.e., how many young people are in meaningful jobs, training, or enterprises post internship, would contribute towards finetuning exposure, training or mentoring processes during the internship period.
The PM Internship Scheme is an ambitious new programme and the pilots are meant for learning so this could be more effective. What stands out already is the positive intent of government and companies, and the keen interest shown by lakhs of students. The scheme speaks directly to young Indians and their aspirations. The scheme can become a bridge from aspiration to achievement, from study to meaningful work. In doing so, it would not only serve individuals but strengthen the fabric of India’s economic future.
This article is authored by Mamta Saikia, one of the 100 Women Achievers of India, education category (2016) and former CEO, Bharti Airtel Foundation.
