As the summer break approaches, university students are being advised to prepare for internships. Background activities begin with the dispatch of correspondence to prospective firms and establishments. Negotiations on the number of internship positions, terms and conditions of tasks, duration and reporting protocols are few of the routines followed world wide. And it is also a moment of excitement for the young folks to experience the feel of work environment for which they are being educated.

Student internships are an integral part of professional and higher education. Almost all well-known institutions of higher learning arrange to send their students to firms, corporations, industries and organisations of relevance to provide an orientation in a similar or related field. On an average, the students spend 1-2 months in the respective organisations. They, however, bring back varied experiences which are valuable for the purpose of analysis and can lead to improvement in this vital area of university-industry liaison.

In firms/organisations where the tradition of accepting student interns is established, the programmes of internship are well-organised. Industries and organizations, which properly plan for internships, are able to facilitate the students in a meticulous manner. As the students join the internship, they are handed down a complete description of their assignment, milestones in submissions of outputs, contact persons, departments/units from where input or guidance can be drawn and the structure of scheduling.

The students normally gain substantially in terms of their understanding about that field of work, culture of the organisation in which they are placed, ethics and values of the system, etc. Some organisations pre-test the students for their capabilities and interest during the first few days of their work. Thereafter, they are placed in such departments where their input can be effectively utilised. The objective of internships is to provide the student body an institutionalised opportunity to observe the practice and applications of theoretical concepts in real life situations. For instance, in the field of Information Technology, many students were able to obtain hands on experience on a state of the art software package about which they possessed only theoretical knowledge. Engineering students obtain visual and working experience of machinery and processes that they learn about in classrooms.

There have been few tales of the downside experiences as well. Some students returned after internships complaining that there was no prior planning done for their intake. Some mundane work was assigned to them to kill their time after they entered. Sifting through redundant office records, making cumbersome inventories, data entry operations, low-key word processing and similar chores were invented to keep the students busy. Due to barriers of confidentiality, they were not allowed to enter spaces where commercially important operations were underway. In some cases, the students were asked to leave early, without letting them benefit from their association with the said organisation. Some students also brought back tales of substandard work produced in certain organisations for the mere sake of profiteering.

These experiences left the students entirely disillusioned about the theory and practice of professional ethics. In many cases, interns did not receive the orientation material and task list for their stay. This often leaves the tailoring of their performance directionless. Many firms, which need a backup of interns as an essential input to their work schedules, seldom advertise or liaise with university managements. Similarly some placement offices in the universities are found to be very slow to respond to the queries of prospective employers. It is important to note that the internships can become an extremely rewarding experience with minimal planning and follow up. Teaching institutions can even assign credit worth to this activity, as done in many universities across the world. The students also need to be pre-trained to market themselves by preparing crisp curriculum vitae and by evolving abilities of communication. Many a times, an effective internship ensures chances of employment in the same establishment.
Issues related to gender sensitisation are also crucial.

It is an established fact that about half of the student body in institutions of higher learning comprises women. As a natural consequence, they are sent to various organisations for internships like their male counterparts. Incidences of harassment of various kinds were reported back by some of these students. Undesirable gestures, indecent remarks and uncouth conduct on the part of some staff members were common happenings. The students were usually shy to formally inform about these misdeeds to the management. Shattered images of business world, fear to work after graduation and impact on self confidence have been some of the results affecting the personalities of concerned girl students.

We need to make efforts to bolster this mutually beneficial enterprise for universities and industries. Proper planning, documentation and continuous improvement can greatly enhance its output. The creation of student resource centres can be a very useful initiative. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and professional regulatory bodies may take lead in association with university managements in this respect. Whereas it provides invaluable exposure to the student body, it is also vital for recipient organisations to target future intake in its trainee cadres.

The writer is professor and chairman, Department of Architecture and Planning, NED University, Karachi.