WMPSC-IIID Design Futures Fellowship will prepare 25 interior design students through technical training, mentorship, internships and industry exposure.
The Water Management and Plumbing Skill Council (WMPSC), in association with the Delhi Regional Chapter of the Indian Institute of Interior Designers (IIID-DRC), has launched the Design Futures Fellowship Program, aimed at giving interior design students greater exposure to building services and professional practice. The programme is supported by GROHE India.
The 2026–27 fellowship will select 25 final-year Interior Design students from Delhi-NCR for a year-long programme combining scholarship support, more than 100 hours of expert-led learning, professional mentorship and industry exposure.
According to Varun Tandon, CEO, WMPSC, the initiative responds to a gap between design education and the technical knowledge increasingly required in professional practice.
“Interior design today extends beyond aesthetics to functionality, sustainability and overall building performance. Yet, exposure to technical building services such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC and fire safety is often limited within design education,” he said.
The fellowship will therefore include masterclasses covering different design typologies, followed by focused learning around material selection, plumbing, electrical, HVAC and fire safety.
“The objective is not to make designers technical specialists, but to equip them with the knowledge to create more functional, coordinated and sustainable spaces,” Tandon explained.
WMPSC is the Sector Skill Council for the plumbing and water management industry, with a mandate spanning skills development, occupational standards, assessment and certification. IIID, a national professional body representing interior designers and allied professionals, brings practising designers and professional mentorship to the programme.
GROHE India, which is supporting the fellowship, represents the global GROHE brand of bathroom and kitchen fittings and water systems. Its involvement adds an industry and product perspective to a programme intended to expose students to the practical requirements of designing and executing interior spaces.
Selection to focus on aptitude and potential
Candidates will be nominated by their institutions and selected through portfolio evaluation followed by an interview. The portfolio assessment will consider design aptitude, creativity, conceptual thinking, quality of work and problem-solving ability. Interviews will evaluate
motivation, commitment, career aspirations and willingness to learn.
Academic performance may form part of the overall assessment, but WMPSC says the emphasis will be on identifying students with strong potential and an interest in becoming industry-ready professionals.
The selected students will also receive internship opportunities and Skill India certifications, while the top three performers will receive special recognition.
Tandon said the first cohort is deliberately being kept small. “The 25-student cohort is an intentionally focused beginning. Based on its outcomes, WMPSC can explore scaling this industry-integrated model to institutions and students across India.”
For the students, the intended outcome goes beyond classroom learning. By bringing design, building services, mentorship and industry exposure together, the Design Futures Fellowship seeks to prepare them to work more effectively with architects, MEP consultants, contractors and other specialists once they enter professional practice.
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