Internships: The Emerging Pathway to Corporate Recruitment

A report by HirePro reveals that internships lasting 4-6 months are favored by students, colleges, and corporations. Internships serve as opportunities for real-world learning and candidate evaluation. Additionally, the report identifies a growing preference for remote and flexible work models among students, though corporations remain skeptical.

Internships have increasingly become a preferred mode of candidate selection for many corporations, with most students and corporates opting for 4 to 6 months (one semester) as the ideal duration for internships, according to a report by HirePro.

The report reveals that students (53%), colleges (40%), and corporates (57%) find this time frame to be neither too long nor too short, providing ample opportunity for learning and assessment. Students view internships as a chance to apply classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios, with guidance from seasoned professionals.

For corporations, internships offer a valuable window to observe a candidate's learning curve and task performance. Colleges, however, advocate for longer internships of 10-12 months to better prepare students for the industry. The HirePro report, based on feedback from over 20,000 students, 350 educational institutions, and 200 corporate entities, also highlights the growing importance of flexibility and fair compensation in internships. Notably, 68% of students are willing to relocate for the right opportunity, with expected stipends ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 monthly. The report also underscores a divide between students and corporations regarding remote internships, with 79% of students ready to embrace them, while 71% of corporations express concerns over supervision and hands-on training.

(With inputs from agencies.)