Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies, Online ISSN 2278-8808, SJIF 2024 = 8.153 https://www.srjis.com/issues_data/231 Peer Reviewed & Refereed Journal, MAR-APRIL 2024, Vol- 12/82 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11065881 Copyright © 2024, Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies ENHANCING SOFT SKILLS IN STUDENT TEACHERS THROUGH B. ED INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Ms. Diandra Pinto & Dr. Jaya Cherian Assistant Professor, MES’s Pillai College of Education and Research, Chembur, Mumbai, 400071 diandrapinto@mes.ac.in Assistant Professor, MES’s Pillai College of Education, and Research, Chembur, Mumbai, 400071, jcherian@mes.ac.in Paper Received On: 20 MAR 2024 Peer Reviewed On: 28APRIL 2024 Published On: 01 MAY 2024 Keywords: Pre-service teacher training, B. Ed internship, Soft Skills Introduction NEP 2020 aims to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 4(SDGs) that focuses on lifelong learning opportunities while ensuring quality education that is both inclusive and equitable. In addition to this, the evolving global world has made it necessary for students to be able to think on their feet. Higher order thinking and soft skills are becoming a basic requirement for functioning in the world. Thus pedagogy must develop alongside to ensure the development of thinking and social and soft skills through education. As NEP 2020 sees teachers as an integral part of these reforms in the education system, it is crucial that teachers are prepared for this role. In order to develop students for the future, teachers must be able to model the necessary skills. Moreover, the nature of the profession is such that teachers must possess soft skills in order to be effective educators. Soft skills refer to those skills that exemplify our individual traits and behaviour. They go beyond technical skills. These skills are found to be more important for employability but often are not easily visible though only a resume or one's qualifications. Soft skills include communication, problem-solving, time management, teamwork, leadership, flexibility and interpersonal skills. All of these are basic skills for teachers and can make a world of a difference to a teacher’s individual classroom as well as their professional careers as a whole. In a study on the role of emotional intelligence and effective teaching, school administrators explained that soft skills were a crucial component of effective teaching and stressed on the significance of the student teacher rapport and relationships which included teachers high levels of interpersonal, communication, leadership dealing with their own as well as students' emotions for the benefit of student learning (Peabody, 2019). The B.Ed program has been designed to develop the required knowledge, attitudes and skills in student teachers for their future careers as school teachers and leaders. The one year B.Ed was extended to two years to incorporate longer periods of experiential practice through multiple internships across the various semesters. Through the internship program student teachers are given an immersive experience of their future careers. It is a form of apprenticeship