Magazine |
CIPD calls for end to unpaid internships

The introduction of a ‘training wage’ for university students is being advocated by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) after it called for an end to unpaid internships.

The training wage would be paid at a rate of £2.50 per hour which is the current minimum rate of pay for apprentices. Under the proposals, any position advertised as an internship would immediately trigger a legal obligation on the part of the employer to pay at least the training wage for the duration of the internship.

The CIPD also want to see interns receive working rights such as sick pay. Further discussion would need to take place regarding the possibility of regional pay variations which reflect the different costs of living within the country.

The CIPD research paper into internships revealed that 37% of these are un paid; a training wage, it argues, would promote social mobility by encouraging those from poorer backgrounds to apply for them.

The CIPD skills advisor, Tom Richmond, said: ‘The continued existence of a major loophole in the national minimum wage legislation has created a lot of confusion and concern around the issue of whether interns should be paid or not...organisations would still be able to recruit young talent at a reasonable rate during this difficult economic period and beyond.’
01/07/2010