The Head of the DoHSS Intern Team for the year 2020-21, Akshaya P, aimed to create a thriving internship culture in the department and increase the accessibility of internships by promoting inclusivity. To this end, she proposed to increase the exposure of students to internships, expand and maintain the already established Internship Database, and create an Internship Bluebook. Akshaya had also proposed to conduct an Intern Fair in the even semester; increase the availability of internship opportunities for HS students through close contact with the Institute Intern Team, Placement Team, and Alumni Relations Team; and improve the coordination within the Intern Team. The Intern Head has also been able to carry out one other initiative outside of what was mentioned in her application!
The Internship Database was compiled and established in the odd semester itself, with data from the Placement Team’s database and student body. The Internship Bluebook has been compiled and is currently in its finishing stages. According to Akshaya, it is expected to be released by the end of February 2021. The Intern Head has also been able to expand the availability of internship opportunities by pushing for internships from companies coming down for placements (or that deny placements), via close contact with the Placement Team. As mentioned in her application, the Intern Team has also been actively seeking out internship opportunities from sites like LinkedIn, Noticeboard, Opportunity Cell, etc. However, her initiative to find localised internships to improve inclusivity has been put on hold, as the COVID-19 Pandemic has led to most internships being converted to the virtual mode. The Intern Head has also been unable to acquire internships which connect academia and fieldwork, as mentioned in her application, because of the current situation. Due to a lack of professors offering internships, opportunities in these areas have also been less.
Regarding the conduct of workshops and fundae sessions, the Intern Team has been able to conduct a successful resume-building session. The proposal to conduct a coding workshop in collaboration with the department Placement Team has not happened yet. However, she is hoping to conduct this session in the future with guidance from the alumni.
To increase the exposure of first-years to internship opportunities, two initiatives had been proposed. The first initiative to conduct a session regarding opportunities at Freshers Orientation was highly successful. The second initiative to introduce internship possibilities in the freshers guidebook is uncertain as there is no clarity regarding the drafting of the said guidebook.
The proposal to open up more HS profiles in the Institute Internship Drive is unclear. This is because the Institute Internship Cell has been unable to reach a proper solution to include HS students in the drive, despite the Intern Head’s close correspondence with the Institute Intern Team, Placement Office staff, and the faculty advisor for the Institute Internship Cell. The proposal to conduct an Intern Fair has reached substantial progress and is expected to happen during the second week of March. The Team has been actively reaching out to companies and collaborating with the Alumni Relations Team to acquire the desired internships. Within the team, Akshaya has been able to improve the coordination and increase the efficiency of the team members.
Outside of the application, the Intern Head has begun the initiative of Coord Mapping for the current fourth-year students, wherein the interested fourth-year students are mapped with Intern Team coordinators who act as their point of contact. The coordinators collect their profiles and seek out internships that match their preferences. This initiative has been well underway with almost all the students covered. However, due to the small scale of the team, this initiative is currently limited to fourth-year students.
In conclusion, Akshaya has had a successful first half of her tenure, with many of her proposed initiatives achieving success, and a few of them in progress. The Intern Head has been able to take up innovative initiatives such as the creation of an Internship Bluebook, Coord Mapping, and the Intern Fair. The Article 19 Team wishes the intern Head and the whole Intern Team the best of luck moving forward.
Article 19 