The Impressive TimesNew Delhi: In a move to develop the next generation of infrastructure professionals, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in collaboration with the Department of Higher Education, has launched the ‘NHAI Internship Program’. The initiative aims to provide students with practical, hands-on exposure to India’s largest highway development network. The program was inaugurated by Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education, and Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav, Chairman of NHAI, in the presence of senior officials from NHAI, the Ministry of Education, and AICTE.
Alongside the program, NHAI unveiled a dedicated Internship Portal, which acts as a single platform for students to access opportunities across over 150 major highway projects nationwide. Each project can host up to four interns, creating an initial cohort of roughly 600 students from premier institutions such as IITs, NITs, and AICTE-affiliated colleges. The program offers internships of one month, two months, and six months, tailored to meet diverse academic and industry needs. Interns selected for the program will receive a stipend of ₹20,000 per month to support their learning, travel, and professional development.
The initiative aligns with the National Education Policy 2020, which emphasizes experiential learning, industry engagement, and employability enhancement. Unlike observational programs, NHAI interns will actively contribute to ongoing projects, gaining practical insights into the planning, engineering, and execution of National Highway projects.
While the program primarily targets Civil Engineering students, it also opens doors for students from IT, Electronics, and Electrical Engineering, particularly in areas such as Advanced Traffic Management Systems and Electronic Toll Collection.
The recently conducted Winter Internship saw encouraging participation from around 250 students. The upcoming six-month final-year undergraduate internship, starting 19th January 2026, has already attracted over 500 applications. NHAI plans to expand the program in the future to include postgraduate students as well.
The internship initiative reflects NHAI’s commitment to skill development and talent building, aimed at preparing students to contribute meaningfully to India’s infrastructure development and the country’s growing highway ecosystem.
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