Interning, making short films, helping start-ups: Collegians in Mumbai do it all to land good jobs

Work experience alongside academics has gained importance is a great deal for students these days. While finding internships during summer vacations is a common trend, colleges are now witnessing a growing number of students assisting start-ups and working on various projects during academic session.

A group of 15 students from first-year Bachelor of Arts in Film, Television and New Media Production from UPG college at Vile Parle were chosen by a pharmaceutical company to put together a short film for Mother’s Day. The students took almost a month to plan, shoot and edit the film, which was presented last week.

“The finished product looks so good. These students not only shot the video, but also edited it. Everything looks so professional. The company which shortlisted the students funded the project,” said Anju Kapoor, principal, UPG college.

Students from Jai Hind have regularly been shortlisted by various production houses to assist them while making short films or advertisements. They are not only paid monetarily, but are also given experience certificates for their work.

“There have been instances wherein start-ups have approached our students from commerce and finance departments to pitch marketing strategies for certain products. If they like the idea, the student gets monetary compensation. It’s a great way to gain experience and students don’t feel like they are doing free labour either,” said Ashok Wadia, principal, Jai Hind college, Churchgate.

Several city colleges have regularly organised campus placements, not just for jobs but for internship programmes as well. But over the years, colleges have observed that students tend to get a job or internship offers even without the help of their institutes.

“Many times, our alumni contact students directly and offer them a chance to assist them. This has also led to many students getting a job offer in hand even before they complete their graduation. It shows that talent will never go unnoticed,” said Dinesh Panjwani, principal of R D National College, Bandra.