Home > Job News > Internship > Internships Should Not Be Free Says CIPD < Job News and Info

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has said that all internships should be come at a price for the employer.

The new report from the CIPD says that all interns should be paid at least a ‘training wage’ of £2.50 to match the current minimum wage that apprentices are entitled to. At the moment over a third of all internships are completely unpaid and the report argues that this is unacceptable.

Introducing the report, the CIPD website picks out some of the highlights and advantages of doing an internship: “The benefits to young people of completing an internship can be considerable in terms of learning technical or practical skills, gaining experience in an industry sector and developing their employability skills such as teamwork.”

The report also makes very clear though that it is also the employers who gain from interns as they bring fresh ideas to their businesses. The CIPD says that the new minimum wage for internships would redress the balance and reward the input that an intern brings to an organisation.

The report adds that the training wage, which should apply throughout the whole period of an internship, would also encourage social mobility as it would be an incentive for ‘students and graduates from less well-off backgrounds’

If you would like to get some work experience or apply for an internship then why not take a look at some of our current internship opportunities that we are advertising? You will find all of the very latest placements on the Employment4students internship homepage.