The second-year students of MICA, Ahmedabad, have returned to corporate offices to complete their internships offline this year, as Covid-19 cases have decreased significantly. This comes after nearly two years of being cooped up behind computer screens for virtual internships.
Madhu Mohan TS, Head, Corporate and Alumni Relations at MICA, said, “Internships this year have offered the students an opportunity to interact, learn and engage with the people in organisations which could be their future employers as well. This is a welcome change after two years of hibernation to screens and screen time only. We are hopeful that this trend of hybrid models is here to stay.”
MICA saw an increase in the highest stipend offered to its students for their 2-month summer placements in the years 2021-23. The FMCG industry offered the highest stipend, at Rs 3.5 lakh (up from Rs 3.2 lakh last year), followed by the IT industry, which offered Rs 2.5 lakh (up from Rs 2.4 lakh last year).
Similarly, Media and Advertising sector recorded the highest stipend at Rs 1,60,000. Students were offered internships in sales and marketing, digital engagement, brand digital strategy, marketing, market research, business development, corporate relations, online marketing, strategic research and market analysis.
Sharing his experience, a second-year MICA student Russian Bose, who interned with Apollo Tyres said, “My project involved executing and analysing marketing initiatives with Sachin Tendulkar, Manchester United and other assets, along with scoping opportunities within rural sports, SUV and two-wheeler communities.”
For Pallavi Dwivedi, who interned with Disney-Star, the offline internship was a great way to engage with various stakeholders and network. She said, “Working in a physical space allows for an immediate and collaborative environment that provides more avenues to learn. At Disney-Star, I have had the opportunity to speak to people from all the different departments that are a part of this esteemed organisation, which has been incredibly enriching.”
Sharing her experience of offline mode, Krupa Mehta, who interned with The Coca-Cola Company, said, “There is no online alternative for human connection, and I could feel its importance when I started working on my project. As a marketing intern working on a project as big as FIFA World Cup, it was imperative to align with multiple teams and stakeholders, which would not have been successful virtually.”