And employers aren’t faring much better when it comes to understanding legislation around internships: only 12% of managers interviewed who have heard of internships, understand that for-profit companies may be breaking the law if they offer unpaid placements.
The results also found that 84% of employees who have worked in a company that employs interns think that they are a useful addition to their organisation.
It’s clear that the business case of using unpaid interns is no more able to stand up to scrutiny than the legal or moral case.
Susan Nash, NUS Vice President (Society and Citizenship) says, "with devestating levels of youth unemployment it is deeply concerning that so few employers and graduates are aware of the legislation around placements and internships. NUS is campaigning with other organisations and trade unions to see the legislation enforced and graduates protected from exploitative practices".
Internocracy CEO Becky Heath said:
“When such low numbers of young people and employers actually understand the rights interns have in the workplace, it’s no wonder that exploitation is rife in popular sectors where competition for experience is fierce.
"The reality is that if an organisation takes on someone to do work for them, whether or not they are called an ‘intern’, they should be paid at least national minimum wage if they are being given responsibilities and are expected to work set hours. ‘Intern’ isn’t code for ‘free labour’ and it’s time companies stopped profiting from exploiting young people.”
Dom Potter, Co-founder of Internocracy said:
“The last few weeks have seen the atrocious act of internships being auctioned off to the highest bidder at the Conservative annual ball. But in reality this is what happens every time an unpaid internship placement is filled: people with fewer financial means or social connections are priced out of the market. With youth unemployment at a record high and social mobility at an all-time low, we simply cannot afford for this broken system to continue.“