After being trapped behind their computer screens for virtual internships for nearly two years, second-year students of MICA, Ahmedabad, were thrilled to return to corporate offices. With the significant decline in COVID-19 cases across the country, summer internships in 2022 were primarily offline. Second-year students of MICA went through a plethora of emotions as they got to experience the offline culture after two years.
Students asserted that the organizations left no stone unturned to ensure they feel at home and maximize their exposure as they prepare to enter the corporate world. The interns did everything from attending advertising shoots to engaging in team-building activities to conducting offline events.
Mr.Madhu Mohan TS, Head, Corporate & Alumni Relations said, “Internships this year have offered the students an opportunity to interact, learn and engage with the people in organizations 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 the hybrid model is here to stay."
EXPERIENCING THE OFFICE CULTURE AND ON-FIELD ASSIGNMENTS:
Sharing his experience, a second-year MICA student Russian Bose, who interned with Apollo Tyres said, “My project involved executing and analyzing marketing initiatives with Sachin Tendulkar, Manchester United and other assets, along with scoping opportunities within rural sports, SUV and two-wheeler communities.”
For Ira Kamble, working with the Council On Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW), a leading policy research institute, was an eye-opening experience. "I got to see how think tanks influence policy and public opinion and work on strategies for a sector still in the initial stages of its journey in communications. Given my passion for the climate action movement, I am grateful to MICA and CEEW for the opportunity this summer."
Urvi Verma, who interned at Nivea, said, "As a Marketing Intern, I got the opportunity to work on launching a new product and take ownership of various aspects. Seeing my ideas getting translated into reality and physically seeing them at stores was an unreal experience. I also got to help organize and attend a celebrity shoot for Taapsee Panu for the same product, which was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
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 organization, which has been incredibly enriching. In just eight weeks, I could grasp a lot about the world of media, entertainment, and business."
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. And lastly, we leveraged offline events such as the iconic FIFA Trophy Tour in Bangladesh for connecting with consumers on youth passion points like football and music."
For Anurag Khandelwal, Flipkart's internship got the best out of him. He said, "Flipkart goes a mile ahead to ensure its interns get the best out of their summers. We got to work on high-stakes projects with end-to-end ownership of our respective deliverables. Senior leaders regularly engaged with us on our projects, and their guidance was pivotal to our learning."
TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES:
Krupa's last day at The Coca-Cola Company was the highlight of her journey. "We were made to team up with interns from other departments and interact with them in a relaxed setting. The idea was to create a seamless path with your dominos, and the team whose blocks took the longest time to fall would win. The activity tested our patience, creative and analytical thinking and brought us closer as individuals", she said.
OVERVIEW OF SUMMER PLACEMENTS:
For 2021-23, the institute witnessed an increase in the highest stipend offered to its students for the 2-month summer placements. The FMCG sector offered the highest stipend at Rs 3.5 lakhs against Rs.3.2 lakhs last year, followed by the IT sector, offering Rs. 2.5 lakhs against Rs.2.4 lakhs last year. The Media and Advertising sector recorded the highest stipend at Rs. 1,60,000. Students were offered internships in Sales & Marketing, Digital Engagement, Brand Digital Strategy, Marketing, Market Research, Business Development, Corporate Relations, Online Marketing, Strategic Research, Market analysis, etc.
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