PM internship scheme streamlined, candidates to get more prior information about offers

New Delhi: Candidates applying for the PM internship scheme will now be given more information, including the exact location of the internship opportunity, rather than just the district name, and the name of the company they are applying for, according to two persons informed about the development. 

The location of the internship opportunities will be made available to candidates with geo-tagged coordinates. This will give them greater clarity about any travel requirement within the district and also help them in making up their mind quickly, said one of the two persons quoted above. 

The specific company names will also be visible to applicants.

The changes are part of the second round of the pilot project that is currently underway. The ministry of corporate affairs has given time till the end of March for candidates to register on the dedicated portal, create a profile and apply for opportunities across sectors, after which the portal will match the opportunities to candidate profiles and send shortlisted applications to companies for selecting and making internship offers.

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The government is also encouraging companies to offer internships in smaller towns and villages where possible, rather than just in cities, said the person quoted above. It is holding workshops across the country to take the scheme to more eligible candidates and enhance its adoption, said the person. 

For example, officials from the ministry of corporate affairs implementing the scheme in the western region have conducted outreach events across Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Nashik and Kolhapur to reach out to the youth in Maharashtra. 

“A lot of attention is being given to education, information sharing and awareness creation about the scheme,” said a second person who also spoke on condition of not being named. Outreach sessions were also held as part of employment fairs organised by the Maharashtra government, the person said.

In the first round of the pilot project rolled out in October 2024, more than 127,000 internship opportunities were offered by companies. In the second round, which started in January 2025, companies have posted more than 118,000 opportunities, which also include some of the unfilled opportunities of the previous round, minister of state for corporate affairs Harsh Malhotra informed the Parliament on Monday. 

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“The proposed modifications to the PM Internship Scheme, particularly the introduction of geo-tagged locations, should enhance transparency and clarity, and thus match the aspirations of applicants, helping candidates make informed decisions and driving internship adoptions,” said Sumit Kumar, Chief Strategy Officer at TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, an apprenticeship service provider which works with universities, companies and the government. 

Skill development

Kumar said that encouraging internships in smaller towns and villages is a welcome step towards equitable skilling and bridging the urban-rural divide in workforce development. 

“To further strengthen youth employability, we recommend integrating internships with undergraduate programs under the new education policy (NEP), ensuring that 50% of credits are skill-based,” said Kumar.

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Introducing third-party agents (TPAs) can ease corporate participation, as seen in the National Employability Enhancement Mission (NEEM) and the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), Kumar said, referring to the two government initiatives aimed at skill development and enhancing employability through apprenticeship training.

Expanding the PM internship scheme beyond the top 500 CSR-spending firms will drive broader industry engagement, fostering large-scale skilling, said Kumar. He also said holding workshops nationwide will further accelerate awareness and adoption of the scheme. 

The PM Internship scheme seeks to offer internship opportunities to 10 million people over five years.