Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, May 31: In a move aimed at boosting employability among engineering and diploma graduates, the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has released revised guidelines for its Apprenticeship Embedded Degree/Diploma Programmes (AEDP).

According to the new norms, engineering students will now have to undergo a minimum of two semesters of internship, while diploma students must complete at least one semester, out of their total eight semesters.

The internship duration can be extended up to four semesters for engineering and three semesters for diploma courses, depending on the decision of the respective institute or university.

AICTE said the revision was made in view of rising apprenticeship opportunities in sectors such as automotive, power, construction, and manufacturing.

A NASSCOM survey in 2019 revealed that India produces nearly 15 lac engineering graduates annually, yet only 2.5 lac land jobs in the core engineering sector. Another study by Aspiring Minds in the same year found that nearly 80 percent of Indian engineers were unemployed.

The extended apprenticeship period is aimed at bridging this gap and improving practical skills among technical graduates, officials said.