“I just want to learn as much as I can, in this limited period of two months”, says Shubham Barthwal, PGDM Class of 2015, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur, who recently bagged a Summer Internship Project in Marketing and Event Management with Pearson. He is going to be attached with the marketing division during his internship, and will work on Pearson’s brand perception in the market through events specifically targeting children and their parents. Shubham explains the responsibilities of his position: “The objective is to reach the customer where Pearson’s reach has been limited. We will be marketing through events, and the important thing is to manage the event within the purview of the budgets that are allocated to me and my team”. The team gets together in the morning and plans for the day. A lot of time is also spent travelling around the Pearson school campus to understand the target audience and their locality in order to identify the venue for the event. The arrangements are meticulously managed by the team, and events are executed to perfection in the evening.

Shubham has been assigned a mentor Dr. Abhijit Nair, Associate Professor, Jaipuria Institute of Management, to help him optimize this opportunity. He says that there are some differences between the classroom and the corporate world: “Customer perception, sales, marketing are broad concepts, which when we learn in the classroom create an impression that things always have to be done in a particular way; however, in the real world there is scope for alternative ways. One has to be inventive and innovative while remaining knowledgeable of the industry”. A good SIP is a great way to learn, relearn and experiment. “There is a gap between academia and industry so far as student competency is concerned. It is important that the student work closely with the mentor during SIP who helps the student bridge the gap and become relevant in the industry”, explains Dr. Nair.

For Shubham, this paid SIP brings an opportunity to learn outside the classroom. He wants to learn how to adopt effective business practices, and to adapt to different work environments. This SIP has certainly opened the doors to professional world for him: “I feel confident today and want to share this happiness with my family. I am going to buy gifts for my family with my first pay and hopefully all our dreams will come true”.