Bangalore: After a dreary year crammed with boring lectures, one would assume that college students would use the summer holidays for some rest.

But they are increasingly looking at courses, internships, part-time jobs, social service and other avenues that will help them hone their skills and keep themselves occupied during the vacation.

They are open to all kinds of employment for they do not look down on jobs such as hospitality, sales and customer service which used to be considered lowly.

Priyanka Rai, a final year student of business management at Christ College, said: "Taking a break is essential, especially after the strenuous academic year. But I have always used my vacations for internships, which help me learn a lot about the industry and give me useful work experience."

Anisha Nair, a budding biotechnological engineer, is busy gearing up for the placement tests. She is also working on a project on making wine from the papaya fruit.

She dreams of patenting her wine and going into mass production.

With overseas education being a major attraction, short-term language courses are preferred by college students.

Jocelyn R., a student at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, said: "Learning new things is always an exciting process. A foreign language or a new skill is always a plus point in your resume or when you apply to international universities or for exchange programmes in certain countries. New age firms are emphasising more on soft skills, and even a seemingly inconsequential ability is now an asset."

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