UGC Introduces New Internship Guidelines To Boost Employability In Students

To enhance the employability skills among undergraduates, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has introduced comprehensive guidelines for internships or research internships. The guidelines align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

UGC has directed all higher educational Institutions (HEIs) to actively implement the internship guidelines to bridge the gap between academia and industry requirements. The initiative will help to make students ready for jobs and instilling a keen interest in research. It aims to cultivate competency, capability and confidence in youth to align with the transformative initiatives informed UGC letter directed to the Vice-Chancellors of all universities.

According to UGC, internships offer students invaluable learning experience, contribute to their skills and personal development. Under the current directives, HEIs are expected to utilise Research and Development (R&D) cells for coordination and facilitation of internships across various disciplines.

In the letter forward to universities, UGC informed about the active review procedure for the implementation of these guidelines.

Announcing the new internship guidelines, UGC noted, “The NEP envisages several transformative initiatives in higher education. These initiatives include providing opportunities to students for internships with local industry, businesses, artists, crafts persons, etc. as well as research internships with faculty and researchers at their own or other HEIs/research institutions so that students may actively engage with the practical side of their learning and, as a by-product, further improve their employability”.