When Internships Become More Than Domain Learning
Last week, the Builders Association of India (BAI) Pune Chapter started its 11th cycle of hiring interns. BAI has been taking interns for the last 6+ years and has been very successful in growing and sustaining this activity. This year itself, more than 150 students from various engineering institutes of Pune have been selected for the one-month internship at various sites of the members of BAI. 45 students out of these are from Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology (VIIT).
As I was addressing the students, memories of my internship with Tata Motors which was for a period of one year, came to mind. I was assigned to Tata Automation Limited (TAL) for the first six months and the six months to the C Block Pimpri Plant which was the gears manufacturing plant.
In TAL, my boss Mr. R.K.Joshi put me on his design team for machines and systems. TAL had its own manufacturing plant for manufacturing of special purpose machines and had customers from across industries and geographies. One day my boss asked me if I had a license to drive a car and if I was proficient at it. To which I answered in the affirmative. He said, “Good. Tomorrow the Vice President of one of our important customers is visiting Pune to see the progress of the machine that we are making for him. I want you to receive him at the airport at 7 am. Also, our engineer who is working on the project is on leave and will join only at 11 am tomorrow. Hence, I do not want you to bring the customer back to our office before ”
I was taken aback. I believed I was there to train to be a good engineer with learning in engineering technology. And here I was being asked to be a or driver! I was there to be an engineer. I needed to learn technology. I was now being asked to receive as if I was a or a driver.
Not wanting to go up against a higher authority I did what was asked of me. For the next two I became the Customer Relationship Officer of our group. I had to do an airport pickup, have breakfast, lunch, or dinner when the seniors were not available, coupled with Pune Darshan and shopping for the wives and kids of the visiting officials. I hardly had any time for any engineering related work. I couldn’t imagine what I would write in my Project Report at the end of my internship. How would I answer my guide? Would I fail if I said that I was a driver and picked up no engineering related work?
Today, after 15 years in the profession, I the importance of that learning. I that it was that learning that made me capable of talking and befriending customers, vendors, partners, and other professional relations. I today cherish all that time. In fact, my guide gave me extra marks for this work and appreciated me for doing this in addition to the engineering work.
I suggest to all students that internship is a must for hands-on knowledge. Along with that not remain attached to only technology. We must develop social skills and do every task that our intern manager would assign us. Am sure the internship experience would help all as it has been a huge benefit to personally me.
Bharat Agarwal @ the BAI