Honeywell Evaluating How To Include Internship Opportunities In CSR Efforts: Ashish Modi

Honeywell India is gearing up to incorporate internship opportunities for youth as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts, following the government’s latest budget announcement. “It’s a great move by the government. We are actively looking at how to include it in CSR,” Honeywell India President Ashish Modi told BW Businessworld.

This year’s Union Budget placed a heavy emphasis on skilling, upskilling and internships. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced several employment and skilling initiatives under ‘Priority Two’ in July. These measures were to support first-time employees, incentivise job creation in the manufacturing sector and improve women’s workforce participation, alongside comprehensive skilling programmes. 

One of the important initiatives rolled out was an invitation to top 500 companies in India to provide internship opportunities to one crore youth.

“As the 5th scheme under the Prime Minister’s package, our government will launch a comprehensive scheme for providing internship opportunities in 500 top companies to 1 crore youth in 5 years. They will gain exposure for 12 months to real-life business environments, varied professions, and employment opportunities. An internship allowance of Rs 5,000 per month along with a one-time assistance of Rs 6,000 will be provided. Companies will be expected to bear the training cost and 10 per cent of the internship cost from their CSR funds,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced in the 2024 budget.

The government’s initiatives drew inspiration from the Economic Survey 2024, which found that 65 per cent of India’s fast-growing population is under 35, with many lacking the necessary skills for a modern economy. The report estimated that about 51.25 per cent of the youth is deemed employable.

Despite this initiative, there has been skepticism regarding whether the measures introduced in the budget will sufficiently motivate India’s private sector to take a proactive role. However, Honeywell’s Modi remains optimistic about the potential positive response from India Inc. “At least the fact that they bring internship under the remit of CSR, I think opens opportunities, and I think more than top 500 companies will participate. And I do not see why only 500.”

As per an Internshala survey, the number of internship opportunities available to Indian students has grown by 200 per cent over the past five years. In 2023, internships in business development and management dominated the market, accounting for 44 per cent of all available positions. Engineering internships followed, making up 20 per cent of the total, which included technology-focused roles in programming, AutoCAD, Civil engineering, and web and app development.

Modi expressed confidence in the eagerness of corporations to contribute more in this area. “I haven’t met a corporation that isn’t eager to do more in this area. Every company I’ve talked to is incredibly driven and excited about the possibilities,” he added.

Honeywell’s current CSR initiatives include partnering with the ICT Academy to address the skill shortage in cybersecurity and AI in India. Last year, Honeywell ran a program focusing on cybersecurity, training thousands of individuals in collaboration with the ICT Academy. The upcoming focus is on AI, targeting students from second-tier, third-tier, underprivileged and government-funded institutions rather than premiere institutes like IITs. 

“The aim is to equip students from these backgrounds with relevant skills to enhance their employability,” said Modi.