The announcement of bursaries to help 10,000 undergraduates into internship placements was a welcome move made by Alistair Darling in this week’s pre-budget report. Announced in part as a response to the Milburn Commission’s recommendations on fair access to the professions, the plan is to provide disadvantaged students with money to help them through a work placement.
But, as Internocracy’s own research has shown, money is only part of the accessibility problem. Family background, low aspirations and lack of local internship opportunities all conspire to create further barriers for those who could potentially benefit greatly from internships. By announcing bursaries to be awarded to those from disadvantaged backgrounds who want to undertake an internship, the government has shown that it understands the need for more accessibility in internships, but has not fully grasped nor addressed fully the issues involved.
Firstly, there is not yet a universal gauge of the quality of work experience or internship opportunities. This leaves many who are taking their first step into the working world on shaky ground in the first place; unless the worth of a placement can be demonstrated, for many, the risk may not be worth it. The government has already experienced this problem with the Graduate Talent Pool, which was set up to offer internships to graduates: some vacancies are advertised by employers who are looking for low-cost options to keep their businesses running during the recession.
The second issue is around the accessibility of internships. Currently, the majority of internship opportunities are based in London yet not everyone can afford to relocate, especially if the opportunity is on a short-term basis, and carries no guarantee of further job opportunities afterwards. From the interns we speak to at Internocracy, it is clear that students have not put themselves through tens of thousands of pounds of debt only to gain a position in an organisation that wants them to be the receptionist for no or little pay, and for which they must risk other factors like moving away from their established communities and putting other job-searching efforts on hold.
There are alternatives to the bursary scheme, in our opinion. The government could create plenty of good-quality, paid and accessible internships throughout the country – for instance, by introducing internship schemes into Local Authorities and government departments based out of London. In some areas, the council is the largest employer, yet initiatives to bring in fresh talent are few and far between. Likewise, supporting locally based SMEs in acquiring interns through the Future Jobs Fund is another area where much can be made out of seemingly little. Outside of London, there is less awareness amongst employers and young people around internships; effort must also be made in introducing regional employers to the benefits of taking on an intern.
While it is significant that the government is making the effort to provide those from low-income backgrounds the tools to protect themselves through the recession, it is important that the opportunity leads to real job prospects, not exploitative working practices.