The significance of practical training along with the theoretical knowledge is well understood by the educational institutions. During the school days, we had the laboratories for doing the practical for science subjects. Today, we have the computer labs and Mathematics labs also. Sports activity was anyway all physical work on the field. What we read in the theory was also seen practically through the experiments in the laboratories. It helped us in understanding the theory better. The experiments leave behind a picture in our minds that helps us in visualizing the concept.
The college practice: The colleges also focus on the theory and lab experiments for the science students. Similarly, the law courses will make you participate in case studies. The business administration studies will make you participate in group discussions and in making the presentations. Thus, every college has a mix of the theory and practical. The college is giving you the necessary inputs for your course of studies but it has a bigger responsibility at hand also. It has to prepare you for doing a job or business once you graduate from there. It is quite possible that you may go for higher studies and post-graduation but still they give you the opportunity to go ahead and learn the practical work aspect.
Practical training: The methodology adopted by the various institutions and universities depend on the type of the course they are delivering. The practical training may happen in the form of summer training, internship, and practice schools etc. You can understand the importance of the internship for the doctors from the fact that theory alone would not make them capable of performing a surgery. Similarly, the lawyers must participate in the court proceedings under the practicing lawyers. The engineers and science students must get a feel of the industrial working by doing a summer training or practice school in a designated industry.
What does an internship mean for the students and how they should look at it? The summer training provides you an insight to the industrial/corporate/medical/court culture. There are many more work areas and only a limited number of them have been considered for easy understanding. The students make the mistake of taking it just like any other course of study and hardly take any interest. Those who make the effort end up with a thorough understanding of how the industry and hospitals work.
Summer training benefits: The interns get into a working discipline, participate in work projects and can also choose the area they like. The medical student may intern in the orthopaedics section while an engineer may do his practice school in the design department. This time of two months to one year may be a game changer in the perception that you carry about an industry or work area. When you finally take up a job after graduation, you may decide to work in a specific area or industry based on your summer training experience. Also, you will find it easier to adapt to any industrial/hospital/corporate/court working as you have already experienced it. You can also showcase the project work along with the rewards and recognitions if any for all your job interviews later.
The overseas scenario: An interesting thing which all college students will love to know is that in the US and Europe there is much more emphasis on the selection of interns to work in a corporate/industrial environment. An intern who has been able to secure the internship with Goldman Sachs or Silicon Valley, California, stands almost a 100 per cent chance of securing a job with the same company. No one wants to be the first full-time employer anymore of new college graduates who have not interned anywhere. Therefore, the race to select the best interns during their undergraduate course of study for full-time employment later is commonplace among employers in the US and Europe.
Message for college students: It is only a matter of time before the trend catches on in the Indian industry and corporates also. With the bountiful benefits of summer training, it is high time that you as students become conscious of its importance for your career growth.
Never realized that the summer training could be a game changer for my career. All the people here in my college, including me had it cool during the summer training. I think I will do better in the second summer training towards the end of my college.
I learned a lot during my summer training in an industry. Not only I was disciplined for the timing of my work but also met a lot of people for my work interactions. Enjoyed doing my project as I was guided well by my coach in the industry. The HR department also took care of my operational needs and provided facilities wherever possible.
We understand that the summer training or internship is an important part of the course curriculum. However, the colleges seem to be adopting a very indifferent attitude for the same. They want the students to organize the training on their own with the industry and inform them. They just regularize the proceedings. I would like the college to arrange and organize the training for me.
I had to run from pillar to post for securing a summer training for myself in a reputed company. In fact, I had to make use of my contacts to connect with references who were on influential positions in these organizations. The training proved out to be excellent and has helped me get a good job opening.