Internships : does it offer a level playing field to everyone?

 After completing my master’s degree from the Stirling University in Scotland in 2009, I applied for my first internship in some of the top public relations company in London. As an Indian graduate in the UK, I knew it was going to be difficult:  the recession was at its peak, jobs were drying and it was very competitive.

Fortunately, I was given an opportunity by the UK’s top ranked PR Company, Bell Pottinger for a month - it was without pay. The only incentive I received was expenses for lunch and the fare for the London underground. For me it wasn’t that difficult: my aunt lived in London so I had a place to stay.

All I wanted from the internship was to gain exposure and knowledge of the UK’s highly professional PR and media industry. I was convinced that such experience in a foreign country, even if it’s for a month, will enable me learn a lot of new things.

The internship helped me in many ways:  I was given interesting work from day one invited to the brainstorming and discussion sessions with the top managers and directors; I interacted with graduates from other universities and on Fridays, I met with other colleagues and MDs over drinks. Above all, I picked up valuable PR and creative writing skills something that you could possibly not learn in the university. 

And what else, by the end of the month, as luck would have it, I was taken in paid in position for a few months. When I finished my tenure, I was immediately offered a full time job by an upcoming PR agency in Wiltshire in South of England.

So the risk I had taken had paid off. I was bit privilege in the sense that I had place to say and didn’t have to worry about food and other expenses – in short I could afford the internship, which made a huge difference.

This year, I had an opportunity to facilitate internships for four British students with India’s largest and very reputed NGO Sulabh International. The NGO had made all arrangements for the students including free stay. The International development students to my knowledge had an enriching experience.  The students still had to pay for the airfare to come to India – they could once again afford it.

When it comes to internship and global exposure the balance is tilted more in favour of the students from the rich countries.  It’s cheap for  them to travel to the developing countries for work. For students from the developing world the scenario is way too different:  it’s very expensive to go abroad; most students rely on bank loans or scholarships for their degrees.  Getting an internship depends on ability to acquire work visa in additional to exceptional merit. The economic downturn has made it almost impossible for foreign students to get internship  at least  in the UK.

Doing internships can help in a number of ways: my exposure to the UK work culture helps me a lot while working for western media here in the subcontinent. I understand the expectations and am able to deliver accordingly. Also in an integrated global economy where the mobility of skilled labour is desired, exposure to global working environment can help in bringing fresh ideas, facilitate team work and help implement a more dynamic work culture.

The Economist this week in its in-depth report on internships says the trend is on the rise and has become “the first step to a white collar job”. The article mainly talks about the job market in the US, however refers that big companies even in India, China and Japan are coming up with innovative graduate internships schemes.

Internships, no doubt are valuable, but multinational companies and big corporates in countries that has a huge flow of foreign students could have a system so that talented graduates from all over the world gets an opportunity.  After all, the world economy needs diversity.

 It also mustn’t be only for those who can afford it- certainly it’s not a bad idea to offer at least the minimum wage.

Is Indian education system too harsh?

India's education system is highly competitive and over -stretched. A cohesive policy and a change in social attitudes are required to accommodate the aspirations of its vast young population.

Veena's funeral

In a Delhi crematorium, a family gathered around the funeral pyre to conduct the last rites of a 17 year old girl. Veena  (name changed) felt so shattered with her grades of the secondary school leaving examination that she decided to kill herself.

Veena’s grades were not good enough to get admission in a good college. India’s higher education system is extremely competitive: the cut –off percentage (qualifying grade) for one of Delhi’s top college  announced this week stood  over 98% for subjects like economics, literature and history. There is a similar demand for other subjects.

At the Delhi University, we see thousands of students queuing up to buy admission forms for the University’s 70,000 odd seats. By any estimate, it is a big number in  any country, but in India, chances of making through to a decent college is one in five. 

Deepak tells us: “I have scored 89%.  I am still not in a hope to get admission in one of these colleges. The pressure is obvious.”

Where does the pressure come from?

Abdul Mabood

Delhi University has over 80 colleges affiliated to it. However, most students are under tremendous social pressure to make it to the top ranking colleges because they feel it is a matter of prestige to study in one of best colleges, says Sandeep Sharma, principal of ARSD college.

In a very quiet neighborhood in south Delhi, we catch up with Abdul Mabood, director of a NGO called Snehi. He has ben running a helpline to counsel students and their parents in distress for the past 17 years.

The phone at his office never stops ringing. Abdul says: “many parents who couldn’t meet their goals in thier lives want to meet that expectations through their child. And, if they find that expectation is shattering they (parents) put a lot of pressure on the child." 

He blames the education system in the country, which he describes as faulty. He says it's money driven and  stifles creativity in a child. He says:  "the schools have to just inject the syllabus and nothing else. That is how you will not get a child that has saved his or her creativity or innocence, cultural understanding, civic sense, care for others. The schools teach (promote) sheer, horrible and cut –throat competition.” Indian education system, he says  “is  killing its children.”

He says that students will benefit more if they built more quality institutions for higher studies or improve the standard of education in universities and colleges in other cities and towns of India so that students don’t have to migrate to bigger cities.

Demographic dividends will be hard to come by.

Please don't let us down

India has one of the largest growing middle class populations in the world.   A good education is often seen as a passport to a quality life and even a way out of poverty for many. It can dramatically change the fortunes of a family.

However, access to good education in India is a privilege of those who can afford it. In rural India, state run schools are in a dilapidated condition and there are serious shortages of teachers.  Also, ability to speak good English is a strong criterion for most corporate jobs and other blue-collar jobs in cities –a skill that is mostly confined to the urban middle classes.

According to an estimate, India will soon have a fifth of the world’s working-age population. The Economist says India will add 124 million people to its working –age population over the next decade, and that figure will soar to one billion by 2032. However, Indian has abysmally failed to create quality jobs in the second half  of the last decade. The jobs in manufacturing sector are scarce due to lack of investment.

Clearly, if India wants  to get dividends of its vast human resources, it needs to educate its population on technical skills. It is about time for policy makers to rethink India’s education policy.  The formal education system that exists is long and theory based - it doesn’t guarantee jobs. Higher professional education is very expensive and remains out of bounds for the majority of Indians. 

India needs more vocational schools, where young people can be trained on practical skills after completing basic education.   Like its neighbor China, it needs to create more industrial jobs.

If India’s unemployment figure in India begins to soar, it will create  great deal of disillusionment amongst its huge working –age population, which might create massive social unrest in the country.