No more interns, please
“Wasted talent is almost a proverb”, they say; it holds true for Pakistani business students. This is so because Pakistani industry is quite unpredictable. Employers do not know who to hire, and employees do not know who to approach. In the confusion, both end up being prevented from achieving their true potential, discouraged by the firm belief that nepotism and incompetency are inherent in the system.
The problem lies with the irresponsible academia, the indifferent industry and the disconnected-from-all government. Business schools are supposed to teach what the industry requires, or at least trends in modern business; yet, they keep sticking to outdated techniques. Their teachers live in disconnect with actuality: they are not connected to successful entrepreneurs of the local industry, or flourishing multinational organisations.
Business schools need to take successful professionals, entrepreneurs and organisations on board. For business students, spending time under their supervision should form part of the coursework. Students should be sent for obligatory hands-on experience in a field of their interest. Teachers should make sure that students are given a structured plan in this regard, for which they submit a detailed report when they return.
On the other hand, organisations needlessly limit their personnel needs to experienced individuals and usually lack a structured system to groom fresh business graduates. They need to start regarding interns as potential employees, or at least individuals who can contribute to their respective organisations. They are new to the organisation, with fresh ideas and an ambition to improve the system. These ideas can be listened to, worked on, and executed – if needed, with necessary alterations. Interns should be encouraged to criticise the existing system, and speak for what they think is right. This practice will help interns become professionals, while improving products, systems and the internal culture of organisations.
The government also needs to step in and make sure that every business school has an understanding with business entities to hire a specific number of interns, provide them the opportunity to exercise their skills in their respective departments, and submit a report of their experience to the government, the organisation they work for, and their schools.
This should form an evaluation mechanism that can gauge the productivity of both business schools and organisations. Pakistan needs to move on this path if it wishes to tweak its human resource potential. The internship culture employed today only wastes time and efforts, and should be immediately done away with.
The writer is a training specialist at Mobilink Pakistan
Published in The Express Tribune, October 15th, 2012.
COMMENTS (14)
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hmm... the topic of this article made me inquisitive to read it on the first priority but I am sad to know the views of the writer. I disagree with,not all, but much of it. Internships are important - yes very important. The point is, they should be well designed. I think the articles should be written on the content and JDs of the internships rather than what this article says. I agree with many of the comments as mentioned above. Internships do help students, we can and have to think more on what and how they should be launched or administered and how they an benefit students.
With all the importance of Internships as course requirement of a programme, when a fresh student with internship experience goes for a job, his internship experience is denied and he is regarded as totally unaware. Not only at this stage but whenever in one's lifetime, he does internships, they don't benefit him at all. Why is this so?
On one hand the article says teachers live in disconnect with business world reality and on other hand it says that there shouldn't be internships, which by their very nature, exist to give practical 'reality' exposure to students. Contradictory.
p.s. top business schools in the country do have instructors from the entrepreneural front and business world.
You're going to run into the same problems every other business school encounters. If you want teachers who are successful in the business world, then you have to PAY the teachers what they would make in business. And no business school could afford those wages.
Students looking for jobs should not be denied internship, its the only way to get a foot in the door. And if they are asked to photocopy so what? Its better than scoping up dog poo abroad!!! Nothing should be considered demeaning. We as a people have the wrong attitude about everything, including being polite. For us being polite means sucking up. Grammar is taught in school via the rote memory by teachers who were taught it via the rote memory route.
Probably the author has never visited IBA
Don't hire interns. hire potential employees.
and for the love of God, could schools please start teaching students how to use Microsoft Excel, Word and Powerpoint. A crash course in grammar and business etiquette wouldn't go amiss either.
This is the best part "Interns should be encouraged to criticise the existing system, and speak for what they think is right. This practice will help interns become professionals, while improving products, systems and the internal culture of organisations"
It will not only help interns but will help the organization itself. but sadly, the so-called experienced people find new ideas and fresh graduates as a threat to themselves. as a consequence they don't let the intern enter into the competition within the organization.
Doing photocopy and the like is not what interns are supposed to do. Its a complete wastage of a resource that should be valued. A student who has spent 4-6 years of his life into the graduation and post graduation studies and comes with innovative, fresh ideas is made to work under the so-called existing system without letting him/her give his opinions. The elder, more experienced clan thinks that what would a new student give to their organization? But its time that they should know that we youngsters are ready to respect them and work under them but we expect in return that we will be valued and our ideas and work will make a positive contribution to the organization.
good one.. loved this part: Interns should be encouraged to criticise the existing system, and speak for what they think is right. This practice will help interns become professionals, while improving products, systems and the internal culture of organisations
It will not only help interns but will help the organization itself. but sadly, the so-called experienced people find new ideas and fresh graduates as a threat to themselves. as a consequence they don't let the intern enter into the competition within the organization
internship is the first door to your job you cannot stop this. Students come from business school or any field of work the learn from internship . After internships they get proper job . but we have to change the way to appoint an intern mostly organization need professional people to get to the job but how a student get professional did we think that? a student learn professionalism from his home ? University ? We just have to change the way of work
Nice idea. But i guess the interns pointing out loudly over a system that Ahmed fuad sb has developed over the years, might not fascinate you and u ll end up doing the same... Tell the internee to do what he is suppoesed to do with his little expertise and no-knowledge of the practical world. I am glad you pointed out the subject wisely, but it should be an altogether changing of mindset/attitude of employers rather than saying 'no more interns plz'. Remember, when we were interns? we would fetch coffees for our boss thinking.. this is part of our job!
Nice and important Topic chosen. We have to change this professional culture whereby young talent is being wasted as mentioned above plus we need to change the education system as well.. Keep on writing like this, we need to create awareness and professionals like you have to take the initial footsteps. All the best.....
Lack of research especially from Phds in academia has led to disconnection between the Industry & Academia. Most of our old school professors claim to be researchers despite the fact that they have not produced a single reasonable academic article in the last 5 to 10 years. The core of our problem is that we have not tried to check what the voice of customer is. Whenever the foundation would be directionless the whole product would automatically be directionless too. Though access to academically written journal articles has increased they are not used as much as they should be.
Nice IDEA...I personally dislikes the intern culture... The experience which is supposed to be gained in internship should be gained in college and university. Degree to any individual who memorizes the definitions, copy paste the assignments and do not have any real Idea must not be given the degree....especially for business students.