Third year students have to undergo a compulsory eight-week internship as part of their curriculum. However, students who voluntarily take up internships in the first or second year can intern abroad. Dr Ashok Misra, director, IITB explained, “After interacting with the industry we realised that Indian firms do not get any students from IITB. Most students are unaware of developments in Indian companies. Making domestic internships mandatory would expose our students to developments in the Indian industry and thus help Indian companies retain our students.”

According to Misra, almost 50-60 per cent of students go abroad for their internships every year. Europe, US are the most preferred destinations for IITians. Apart from Indian companies, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of Science (IISC) and all the IITs are some of the institutions where students could engage in for research work.

“I do not think it is a good move. Interning abroad will help us broaden our horizons. Also, making domestic internships compulsory is not going to stop students from exploring job opportunities abroad. Students will ultimately do what suits them,” said a fourth year electronics engineering student.