We created the internship model to fix a structural gap: Indian schooling produces graduates with no real exposure to work, leading to high secondary-level dropout rates (14.1% nationally, UDISE 2024), poor career readiness (63% of employers cite lack of practical skills as the top hiring barrier) and poor career awareness. This results in high NEET (Not in education, employment, or training) rates (23.5% among 15–24 Age Group). At the same time, only 02% of youth aged 15–29 have received formal vocational training, and Students, especially girls, were leaving school without confidence, clarity, or employability.
To address this, we created an innovation that provides early, structured exposure to high school students to the real-world work environments in the form of internships. This is integrated into the school curriculum while linking academics to practical application. The model is supported by an ecosystem of headmasters, vocational trainers, employers, parents, and students, with strong safety measures and continuous monitoring. LAHI’s early pilots showed that this exposure improved engagement, confidence, and understanding of labour-market realities.
We built this innovation to be low-cost, locally rooted, and scalable so any school—rural, tribal, or urban—could connect learning to life through nearby enterprises. Ultimately, we created internships to make schooling meaningful and ensure every young person leaves school with real experience, agency, and aspirations
The internship model places Grade 11–12 students in 80–120 hour roles at nearby micro-enterprises—garages, farms, tailoring units, retail shops, clinics, workshops—usually within 1–2 km of the school for safety and feasibility. The design is protective and inclusive: schools map safe enterprises, formalise partnerships, orient employers on workplace behaviour and gender-sensitive norms, and obtain informed parental consent.
During the internship, students follow a simple task-based plan while employers assign real work—tool handling, customer interaction, inventory, basic machine operations, hygiene and safety routines, and simple financial processes—while mentoring them and gaining meaningful support from their work.
Attendance and learning are tracked through LAHI’s Pathways platform; students maintain a daily diary, and teachers monitor progress and reflections.
Evidence shows strong results:
> Students completing internships are 4× more likely to secure full-time jobs after Grade 12
> 88% make more informed career choices;
> 90%+ report improved employability skills. Internships significantly recalibrate wage beliefs and job-search expectations.
> Girls increasingly explore non-traditional sectors when given safe exposure.
> Employers validate the model—15% offer actual jobs, and 76% are willing to hire interns.
Overall, the program becomes a practical bridge between school and work, building confidence, discipline, teamwork, communication, and career clarity
The program started with a small pilot in Maharashtra in 2016 by Lend A Hand India, where local teams engaged 25+ employers in offering internships to Pune Municipal Corporation school students. The team developed comprehensive SOPs and scaled up this model in government schools across the state through government trainers. Schools appreciate that internships require no capital investment, employers value the chance to contribute to their community and mentor future workers, and parents gain confidence when they see their children performing real work.
As the model demonstrated a measurable impact using minimal resources, state and national education departments supported the innovation in the scheme budget, making financial provisions for teacher training, stipends for students, and certification.
Today, internships are mandated in 13 states, and government allocations for internships have grown 23X since 2021 (from USD 0.3M to USD 7.1M).
The National Education Policy 2020 and National Curriculum Framework 2023 have also recognised the importance of internships for school students. NCF 2023 explicitly recommends workplace exposure for secondary students, making its nationwide adoption a national priority. If the universalisation is achieved, the over 14 million students may undertake internships annually.
The internship model has evolved substantially based on evidence, safety needs, and system-level scaling. What began as an informal exposure opportunity is now a structured 80–120 hour program with clear roles for schools, employers, and students.
We strengthened the model by adding systematic enterprise mapping, safety protocols, gender-sensitive guidelines, and mandatory parental consent to ensure safe and equitable participation—especially for girls entering non-traditional sectors.
We introduced an employer orientation module so that micro-enterprises understand mentoring expectations, student tasks, and reporting processes. To make the model sustainable, we emphasise meaningful work where employers gain real value—leading to 76% willingness to hire interns and 15% offering jobs.
Monitoring has become stronger with the Pathways platform that captures attendance, daily tasks, and learning reflections. Teachers now have a simple supervisory checklist, and students maintain structured logbooks.
Based on research findings, we integrated components that strengthen career awareness: guided reflections, pre- and post-internship sessions, and alignment with labour-market realities.
The model now explicitly addresses belief calibration, gender gaps, and transition readiness. Overall, the innovation has shifted from a small pilot to a scalable, evidence-driven, protective, inclusive internship system that can integrate seamlessly into government schooling.
Begin by mapping 10–20 safe, nearby micro-enterprises—garages, retail shops, tailoring units, farms, clinics, service centres—within 1–2 km of the school. Meet each employer, assess safety, and formalise a simple partnership. Orient teachers, employers, and students on workplace behaviour, safety norms, and gender-sensitive practices. Obtain parental consent after sharing clear expectations.
Start with a small cohort of 15–25 students in Grades 11–12. Schedule an 80–120 hour internship window (after school or during breaks or holidays). Provide students with a task-based learning plan and a daily diary.
Employers should assign real, meaningful work—customer interaction, tool handling, inventory, machine basics, hygiene routines, simple bookkeeping—while mentoring students and deriving value from their contribution.
Track attendance and learning using a basic spreadsheet or a digital tool; conduct weekly check-ins with employers and students. At the end, hold a reflection session where students present what they learned.
Begin small, refine processes around safety, monitoring, and gender inclusion, then expand. Schools, NGOs, and governments can scale this model easily since it requires no new infrastructure—only structured processes, local partnerships, and consistent monitoring
You may get in touch with Lend A Hand India for technical assistance and e-resources. (info@lendahandindia.org)
