Graduates will get internship opportunities in government institutions

Good news for graduates of the country. From now on, graduates of Bangladesh will get the opportunity to work as an internship or apprentice in government institutions. Some allowances will also be provided during this internship. This is what has been said in the ‘Internship Policy-2023’ released by the Ministry of Public Administration on October 22.

Mohammad Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, said to TBS, “This policy has been made to give an idea to the future workers about the working style of the state institutions. Even if the interns are not joined as workers in the state institutions in the future, they will be informed about how the institutions work. Coordination between sectors will be easier. For this reason, interns will be given more opportunities in activities related to government policy initiatives and development programs.”

A senior official of the Ministry of Public Administration said that all government, semi-government, autonomous, state-owned institutions will be obliged to provide internship opportunities to eligible graduates. However, the number of internship opportunities that an organization will give in a year will be determined by that organization according to the field of work. And the amount of allowance will be decided by the government. A circular will be issued by the finance department regarding the allowance of interns within a few days.

So far there was no opportunity for job candidates to do internship in the government institutions of the country. Private industry and commercial organizations provide internship opportunities. However, it is given by the concerned institution according to its own rules. There is no obligation.

Internship is joining an organization for a fixed period of time or part-time to get an idea or experience about the work of that organization.

The government has made this policy with the aim of creating skilled human resources by providing opportunities for practical training or hands-on work. The policy also aims to combine textbook knowledge with on-the-job experience and encourage them to become familiar with the workings of government offices and engage in public service in the future.

Former President of Bangladesh Employers Federation, Md. Fazlul Haque told TBS, “The initiative is definitely good. Because skill development of human resources is most important at this time. But it should be remembered that the process of inclusion of graduates in internship should be made easy. There should be no rule that the internship policy should be written on paper. It is in the pen but nothing is actually being done.”

He said, private sector industry and business organizations of the country provide internship opportunities. But the institutes give opportunities to the graduates according to their convenience. The government has now made a policy. The private sector will surely come forward more structurally. But in this case, the government has to take initiatives with the private sector.

How will it be done?

From now on, the government institutions will publish the notification regarding the recruitment of interns. The notification will mention the place, number, duration, allowance, selection process of internship. Interns will be selected based on merit. However, preference will be given to applicants belonging to women, minorities and people with special needs.

Bangladeshi citizens with at least graduation can apply. Must apply within 2 years of obtaining a Bachelor’s, Master’s or equivalent degree. A candidate will get an opportunity to do internship in a government office only once. The duration of the internship will be from a minimum of 3 months to a maximum of 6 months. In case of inability to complete the internship under special circumstances (illness, personal problems) the internship authority may grant a maximum leave of two months subject to proof. However, no holiday allowance will be given.

However, internship opportunities cannot be given in all types of law enforcement forces including military, civil, paramilitary, security forces, intelligence agencies, key point installation (KPI) announced by the government and any work that disturbs the security of the state.

Every year 4 to 5 lakh students are graduating from the universities of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) Labor Force Survey 2022 states that 12% of the highly educated are unemployed. Job seekers want to do internship after graduation. But not everyone gets that opportunity.

Also applicable to private industrial and commercial establishments

This policy will also apply to private industries and commercial establishments. In this case, the private sector organization will prepare appropriate internship policy under the supervision of the concerned ministry. The private institution will determine the intern allowance, internship period and other matters through its own policy. In this regard, FBCCI and other sector-wise top local business organizations will take necessary measures regarding the internship.

Even now, private institutions of the country provide internship opportunities. But it is less than the demand. Various companies publish notices inviting applications for internships on their websites. Apart from this, job fairs, online job portals also have information about companies offering internships. But most interns are hired through acquaintances. Some organizations provide allowances to interns. Some institutions do not provide allowances.