October 2007 

Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Bombay

General Guidelines for Practical Training (PT), UG/DD Program

The Practical Training (PT) could be of the following types:

1. In Indian Industrial Organizations
2. In Indian Universities and CSIRs or other Government/Private Research Institutes
3. Through Campus Placements
4. In Foreign Universities or Industrial Organizations

The faculty PT coordinators would facilitate all the above types of PTs. However, they would be actively involved primarily with type-1 PT, seeking placements with the Indian companies. Students who are interested in doing the other types of PTs are encouraged to seek suitable placements on their own. Students should not try for PT in the companies/universities where the department PT coordinators are contacting. The list of such companies/universities will be made available to the students at the earliest.

The relevant details of each type of PT are provided below.

1. PT in Indian Industrial Organizations

• By Individual Initiative: For students who have acquaintances in companies, and who have specific companies in mind to do a PT with, are encouraged to apply to these companies on their own, along with a letter of introduction from the PT coordinators. Students who have succeeded in obtaining a PT on their own should inform the PT coordinators on acceptance of the PT.

Timeline: Intimate the PT Coordinators about the status of your applications by end of January.

• By Departmental Initiative: The PT coordinators would also be approaching various companies to arrange for the summer placements of students. These would be in diverse areas of chemical engineering and would typically involve familiarization with the plant followed by a month long project.

Timeline: Department coordinators are likely to invite the first batch of companies by early to mid November, and the process would be continued beyond that.

2. Training in Indian Universities and CSIRs or other Government/Private Research Institutes

• Almost all the IITs and IISc have a summer internship program with an appropriate stipend for two months of training. This typically involves applying against an advertisement, followed by an interview. The students interested in these programs should check for advertisements, which are issued in websites/dailies Several CSIRs and government R&D Laboratories are engaged in advanced, high-quality research in various areas of chemical engineering or related disciplines. Examples of such institutes include: NCL, NEERI, IICT, BARC, TIFR etc.
• Students are encouraged to apply to these organizations on their own, with suitably composed curriculum vitae. Students who have succeeded in obtaining a PT on their own should inform the PT coordinators on acceptance of the PT.
• The students should take care that no spamming occurs in the process. The way to approach these organizations would be to contact a scientist whom you know through his/her work, which is of interest to you, or through other personal sources. Writing mails to the Director of these institutions directly need be avoided.

Timeline:

1. Indicate your intentions to apply for the CSIRs or other R&D organizations to the PT coordinators as soon as possible
2. Intimate the PT Coordinators about the status of your application by January

Try for a confirmation from the organization by February

3. PT through Campus Placements

• Students may also apply to companies invited by the institute for placement. Those who secure such a PT position, must intimate the PT coordinators soon upon receiving an offer.

Timeline: All those who may secure an institute PT should report the same to the PT coordinators as soon as they secure it.

4. Training in Foreign Universities or Companies

• The PT in foreign universities should be in the Department of Chemical Engineering or allied departments like Biotechnology, Materials, Polymers, etc. The students are expected to apply to these universities individually, taking care that spamming is avoided. Students are expected to devise their own ways to deal with this possible problem. Once a student finalizes the PT with a university, he/she should inform the departmental faculty PT coordinators at the earliest. 
• For those who are applying to foreign industrial organizations should communicate so to the PT coordinators on acceptance of a PT.

Timeline: Intimate the PT Coordinators about the status of your application before last week of January.

Special Instructions

• Students are expected to provide accurate and authentic information in their CVs. Provision of incorrect information would invite penalty.
• If a student gets an offer for PT from an organization approached by the department, he/she will not be allowed to apply for PT placements in any other organization that is contacted after the receipt of offer. Also his/her application will be withdrawn from all the other organizations in the PT procedure at that time. This is required in order to ensure that everyone in the department is able to secure a PT.
• In case two or more organizations declare their list of selected candidates for PT simultaneously, the student receiving these offers will have a choice to join any of these organizations, but he/she should notify his/her choice to the PT coordinators as soon as he/she receive these offers.
• All students should obtain letters of introduction from the PT coordinators while seeking placements on their own. Students placed through the department also need carry such a letter at the time of reporting to the organization.
• All students are expected to carry the document presenting the key required elements of training, which will be available with the coordinators. Organizations are expected to comply as best as possible with the suggested structure of training. This is needed for the purpose of subsequent assessment of the training by the departmental faculty.