In a bid to enhance employability and bridge the skills gap in India’s engineering landscape, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has launched the National Internship, Placement, Training and Assessment (NIPTA) portal. The initiative aims to create a unified digital ecosystem that links students, training providers and industry, thereby streamlining internship and placement workflows.
During the inaugural launch at the Dakshinapatha Summit on the IIT Madras campus, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan formally flagged off the NIPTA platform. The portal is expected to provide registered engineering students with access to free training modules, assessments, and placement opportunities in partner companies.
IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti emphasized that such a centralized infrastructure is critical in today’s fast-evolving job market. According to him, while artificial intelligence (AI) and automation may not eliminate jobs, lack of proficiency in AI and digital technologies will disadvantage professionals. He noted that NIPTA is part of a broader institutional push to integrate AI, training and placement in a cohesive framework.
Through NIPTA, students will be able to enroll in training programmes tailored to industry demand, take standardized assessments, and directly connect with recruiters. The system is expected to reduce fragmentation in skill-development initiatives and improve transparency in student placement processes.
The portal launch was complemented by memoranda of understanding signed by IIT Madras with several partners including Think India, Chettinad Hospital and Risk Financing. These partnerships are intended to facilitate domain-specific training, internships, and collaborative research.
Experts believe NIPTA could become a template for other higher-education institutions seeking to institutionalize skilling and placement in a digital-first era. With holistic tracking from training all the way to employment, IIT Madras aims to raise the bar for academic-industry linkages and help graduates better align with evolving industry requirements.
