Enternships Blog
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How Recruiting Works OnlinePosted on Tuesday 21 February 2012 at 13:51PM by Ed |
More than 250 million people search for jobs online each month. I thought it might make an interesting post to show you where these millions of job searchers actually go, and how the internet caters for them. It starts with Google...
... or does it? Google is only one option to start your job search. Not all job sites and recruitment companies can cover all of these ways of seeking out candidates.
Of course, there isn't just one job site...
There are hundreds of thousands of job websites. Even with all the different industries and types of searches, many of these jobs sites see little or not visits from candidates. That's where job aggregation sites come in...
The job aggregation sites take feeds of jobs from thousands of job sites and having them on one site, for instance UK startup Adzuna. They help drive traffic to quality roles posted all over the internet. A couple of tips if you're looking for jobs online.
- Avoid queues. If you're only looking on the biggest sites, chances are so are hundreds people competing for the same position. Look for more specialist sites like Enternships where you can apply for a huge range of different roles where fewer people will suit each role.
- Avoid shotgun-CV sites. If all it takes to apply for a job is to upload your CV and send it with a click to dozens of organisations, so is your competition. Here at Enternships, every candidate has to pass a 'filter question' where they "pitch" the startups and small businesses on there role.
If you're looking to advertise job roles online
- Post a job somewhere which provides extra value. Here at Enternships for example, we're on campus so you don't have to be. We travel up and down the country to get to know the Enterprise societies and Career's departments from dozens of Universities.
- Beware of posting everywhere. If you're posting in generic, popular places then expect a huge number of low quality applicants, which can take ages to to sift through properly.
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Get Into PR with these Incredible OpportuntiesPosted on Monday 20 February 2012 at 14:18PM by Ed |
At Enternships, we've been putting together this exhaustive guide to getting into PR and PR internships, together with eight PR experts. “PR is a fantastic industry to work in and there's never been a better opportunity to get your career started - if you really want it, you'll get that PR job!” - Ben Matthews We're also excited to tell you about PR prom - a must-attend for anyone looking to get into PR - being held on Thursday 23rd February at Shoreditch Town Hall in London. You can book your ticket here.
It's the perfect excuse to dress up and connect with 500 of the Top PR's in the United Kingdom, with all proceeds supporting BrightOne, a volunteer-run PR agency for non-profits, charities and social enterprises.
In exchange for a mere twenty-five pounds, you'll enjoy food, drink (including 'Brite Fizz' cocktails on arrival) along with live entertainment and a DJ set.
Oh, and there's a 10% discount code 'student' to make it an even sweeter deal ;)
We asked our eight PR experts what their best moment in PR has been...
What's Been Your Best Moment In PR? “Winning my first account was special. It was two weeks into my first job as a PR, for a small but growing web design agency that went on to be sold to Gyro and become of the biggest in the world. I had absolutely no PR experience, but had done most of the groundwork for the pitch. 'Social' and digital media was still relatively new, and that one account shaped the rest of my career.” - Vikki Chowney
“Winning Young PR Professional of the Year at the PR Week Awards. I picked up the brochure writing up the awards as I walked out the door. It was nice to see a write up on what I’ve been up to in the 3 years since I graduated and got my first job in PR, as well as see the quality of the other shortlisted PRs – Luke Alexander and Louise Lloyd were even nice enough to congratulate me on the win.
Reading through the write up, there was a pull out quote which really flattered me from one of the judges on the panel - "It's exciting to see such a young talent shaping the future of our industry with such self-effacing modesty". It shows that the nice guys don't finish last after all!” - Ben Matthews
“Achieving national coverage for my clients is the best feeling and if it goes multi-platform i.e. TV, radio, print, it's even better! This only happens with very newsworthy, timely stories that fit with the interest of a particular journalist on a particular day. It's tricky and requires well-planned execution.” - Rachael Dines
“Working with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Some amazing people, some amazing stories. It's easy to get lost in the day-to-day, but working with the team at HMDT, things quickly get put into perspective.” - James Gilheany
“I'm not sure if there is one thing that stands out more than others, but generally there is nothing better than running a campaign for a client that gets brilliant results. There's nothing quite like the buzz of seeing amazing coverage coming through or website hits going through the roof!” - Danny Whatmough
“I guess any campaign which does well is a good moment. I worked on a campaign for Aviva last year which was massive and it was great to be part of that success. Aviva’s first ever global brand campaign, You Are the Big Picture, aimed to bring to life their brand promise to recognise the needs of their customers better than any other insurance company.
To deliver this deeper engagement, Blue Rubicon (my company) democratised the concept of ‘recognition’, by creating a tactic to give tens of thousands of people the chance to see their face projected onto an iconic building in one of six cities across the world. These high impact public projections were delivered by a social media word of mouth campaign and far-reaching media relations, which took Aviva into fertile new ground.
The social media element of the campaign took Aviva from a standing start to a fully integrated campaign using personalised videos, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter to motivate the public to tell their friends and families. Not only did social media secure mass engagement, but it also resulted in mass approval from members of the public who relished the opportunity to get involved.
In addition, for every photo submitted via youarethebigpicture.com and facebook.com/aviva, Aviva also donated £1 to its Street to School programme to support the needs and rights of street children.” - Josh Feldberg
“I should really tell you about how I got a specific piece of press coverage so far, however that would be untrue. I ran a press trip to Estoril, Portugal a few years ago which was one of the best experiences of my life. We went in vintage cars to all locations, stayed in some of the best hotels I have ever seen, were taken on speed boats, helicopters and even to the old F1 course. There we got to go in several cars and get up to all kinds of fun.
The press were great people, the food was fantastic, I learnt loads and the weather just perfect. Best of all I was paid to do it!” - Lexi Mills Find out how to get into the wonderful world of PR with our latest PR internships and expert guide.
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A Festival for Business: Global Entrepreneurship CongressPosted on Wednesday 08 February 2012 at 14:54PM by trrpaipai |
You know how much we love events - they're a great opportunity to stay on top of the latest news, meet people in the industry and get your name out there. The Global Entrepreneur Congress 2012, taking place in Liverpool on 9–16 March, is bound to bring some of the most successful entrepreneurs in Britain for three days celebrating with a festival for business.
Enternships is pleased to announce its partnership with the Global Entrepreneur Congress 2012, allowing us to offer our members a 20% discount for the event in March.
Students are also eligible to purchase tickets for a special, reduced price of £75 (+VAT) so if you are a student and want to take advantage of this offer, email students@gec2012.com and mention Enternships in your email.
For the rest of us who are not students, to take advantage of the 20% offer please go the website below and enter the code ETPS20.
To take advantage 20% discount please go to http://gec2012-esearch.eventbrite.co.uk/?srnk=1&ebtv=C
Highlights taking place on Tuesday 13th March In March, Liverpool and the Global Entrepreneurship Congress will provide a festival for business where people, passion and potential will be celebrated, inspired and accelerated. It is a festival for entrepreneurs, a celebration of enterprise, an inspiration for those with the ‘can-do’ spirit to turn dreams into an ambitious reality.
The Global Entrepreneurship Congress will be a powerhouse of business brilliance that inspires people, excites potential and celebrates passion with the aim of “unleashing the will to win”. The event is hosted by Liverpool Vision, Global Entrepreneurship Week and The Kauffman Foundation.
On 13 March, entrepreneurs and aspiring business leaders will experience an inspiring journey through three sessions of speeches, panel discussions and debates centred on three themes that explore the concept of winning in business. By coming to the Arena and Convention Centre in Liverpool (ACC Liverpool) on the 13th March you can expect to:
- LISTEN to world leaders, economists and other experts about programs, policies and research aimed at advancing entrepreneurship.
- GAIN valuable insight and advice from successful and experienced entrepreneurs in various speeches and workshops. Keynote speakers include:
-Sir Richard Branson - Founder of Virgin
-Martha Lane Fox - Founder of lastminute.com
-Sir Terry Leahy - former CEO of Tesco
-Rt Hon the Lord Heseltine - Founder of Haymarket Publishing and former Deputy Prime Minister
-Steve Felice - President, Consumer, Small and Medium Business at Dell Inc.
-Paul Lindley - Founder of Ella’s Organic Robin Rowland - Founder of Yo Sushi! Lara Morgan - Founder of Company Shortcuts
-Doug Richard - Founding Dragons’ Den Panellist and Founder of School for Startups
-Ashok Rao - Chairman of TiE Global Board of Trustees
- MEET and NETWORK with delegates who can help you take the next step in starting and growing your own business.
Book your place at http://gec2012.com and don't forget about the discount codes. See you all in Liverpool!
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The Only Way Is The Entrepreneurial WayPosted on Monday 06 February 2012 at 13:41PM by trrpaipai |
Joe Levi is the founder of studentmoneysaver.com, a website that provides students with tips and advice on how to get the most of their student years on little money. We recently visited him in his cute little office in North London to discuss the ups and downs of life in a startup and here's what we got.
So why did I do it?
The idea for Student Money Saver began when I started Manchester University in 2007. I fast realized that being financially independent for the first time at university was incredibly intimidating. For the first time I had to live on a budget much more limited than I was originally used to, manage my bills AND pay my rent. Following a quick Google search, I found absolutely nothing that provided me with the type of assistance that I would have liked and so, I took matters into my own hands. I didn’t exactly have a big budget so the movement started off with a group of like minded folk who helped me to get the website going.
When people ask why I chose ‘the road less travelled’ and decided to opt for entrepreneurship instead of working 9-5, the only answer that no one can EVER argue with is the fact that my job satisfaction trumps that of any investment banker. Making money is obviously a great contributory factor to any career path but whilst most city workers [however successful] still come beneath someone in the office hierarchy, I get the immense pleasure of being in control of my own destiny. To be fair, I think I always knew I would go down this route when as a child, I opted to sell sweets instead of eating them but it is admittedly, not for everyone.
The downside?
The immense fear associated with taking the risk of starting your own company. There is always that niggling doubt that the world will not understand your vision, however, it is this very same vision that keeps you going on those days when everything seems to go wrong. To be honest, hard times or no, I wouldn’t change my choice for the world. Alongside the bad days are good days and sometimes, there are REALLY good days and there is nothing like the deep sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that your vision has yielded results.
To all those who agree that ‘the only way is entrepreneurship’, my key advice to you is to remind yourself of your vision – DAILY. You may get disheartened but [without sounding to cheesy] you have to keep your eyes on the price.
Well that’s all for now. My next blog will keep you updated on the goings on here at Student Money Saver, so join me on my journey: witness my downfalls and rejoice with me in my successes.
Happy Saving!!
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Why Starting A Business While Studying Is A Good IdeaPosted on Thursday 02 February 2012 at 12:40PM by trrpaipai |
Jacky Yapp is the lead founder of Lunchsparks, a networking platform that allows you to meet with awesome and cool people in Singapore, making great contacts for your career. He founded this platform while he was still in college and now he shares his pearls of wisdom on the why's and do's of such an initiative.
Many people wonder when is it a good time to startup, and when I ask around, usually most of those around me (I am currently based in Singapore and spent a year in Shanghai, grew up in Brunei and Malaysia) would say, to first graduate from college, get a job, earn some money, get some contacts and expand your network, and then you are all set to start building your startup. For me, I think the best time to start is during college/university, which is what I am doing right now.
A little background of myself, I am currently in my final year in the National University of Singapore, and I had the chance to be based in Shanghai for a year last year and when I came back, I gathered my cofounders and we started working on our current startup idea. The beauty of entrepreneurship is that extra step you take out of your comfort zone, that will to do something different with your life, having an impact on the people around you, and that extra courage you need to face the possible criticism and possible failure.
And speaking of failure, what better time there is for one to fail during college and start all over again? We all know that out of 10 startups out there, 9 fails. So if your startup venture failed in university, it is easier to stand back up, and the experiences that you gained is invaluable in making you a better person, and in preparing you for the world. I have been working for 4 months on my current startup right now and I have been meeting a lot of awesome people along the way, who gave me great advices, who pointed me in the correct direction as well as those that criticized my idea, and I loved all of them.
Other than that, you also get to experience things that your peers don’t experience such as negotiating with investors, making hard decisions, team expansions, product marketing or even public speaking to sell your idea. For myself, I experienced 2 interesting incidents whereby I received a warning email from an anonymous who essentially warns me of my startup idea and that it is a knockoff of another similar website, and another incident (well not actually incident) whereby a software engineer saw what we were doing and wanted to join us. He sent in his really impressive resume to me but we were not hiring at that point of time, putting me at the other side of the table during the interview.
Had I not started working on what I am working now, I wouldn’t have had the chance to experience all these if I were to get by my university life as a normal student. So to all aspiring entrepreneurs in college today, if you have that one million dollar idea right now, start doing something about it today! There will never be the exact right date to start founding a company, but if you have to, that day is today. Ideas are worth nothing, for it is the execution that matters.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs
Photo from: http://bit.ly/z1SNbP
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Low Jobs Or No Jobs? That Is The Question.Posted on Monday 30 January 2012 at 12:07PM by trrpaipai |
Last week we ran a poll on our weekly newsletter in which we asked Enterns to tell us what they think about the statement Mayor Boris Johnson made the other week regarding work ethics in Britain. We got quite a reaction from our subscribers, voting both pro and against the idea launched by London's progressive mayor, so we compiled a list with the most interesting replies.
Here's what the mayor Boris Johnson told The Sun on January 20th:
"London is a fantastic creator of jobs — but many of these jobs are going to people who don't originate in this country. They are hard-working, good people, and we need to learn from them and understand what it is that they have got that makes them able to get those jobs that young Londoners don't have."
So his idea is that the job spectrum is in a deficit of demand, not of offer. No one really wants to take on the lower end jobs, apart from the foreigners relocating to the UK in order to touch up their income. He suggests the key problem for the British economy is the lack of energy among Britain's youth. You can read the original article here.
There are various factors that influence the equation 'unemployment+immigration+British work ethic', and the truth never seems to stay in one place. On one hand, the mayor is right in saying there are plenty of job offers that are waiting to be filled in retail and food industries, however is also losing sight of the fact that the case with professional jobs is a bit more different.
Our readers have also had mixed reactions to the statement, either putting the blame on a lack of willingness to work or simply on the outrageous economic fall Britain is still dwelling in. Read on:
"Being a foreigner myself and having worked very hard in this country for over 10 years in a low-paid, unrecognised sector (Hospitality, and specifically the Housekeeping side of it --that is, the most essential yet unglamorous part of it) where no English would set foot, I can but agree with Boris; and there are certainly some people whose trouble in finding work is laziness. But are they the majority? At the same time, I have seen a lot of people from this country work hard & long hours --providing the job suited them--, and some of them do try to adapt to new parameters.
On the other hand, I am now also one of the nearly 3 million unemployed, have been also working hard (for near 3 years) at trying to get employment, but there are always more candidates than vacancies, with criteria for employment being always higher --and I am NOT unqualified, unexperienced or unadaptable (or indeed a youngster)... So imagine the non-qualified! Mister Mayor therefore has to be wrong in asserting that the jobs are out there, that we just need to bend down and pick them..."
Some suggest a closer relationship between Britain's politicians, employers and the youth will provide a better understanding of the British economic needs and how they can be met by the new generations of workers:
"Boris Johnson has generalised the youth and there are some people that are desperate to work. It's politicians that are giving youth a bad name and it is unfair on the people that genuinely want to work and that is the majority of people but companies simply don't want to employ English workers because they will pay more in wages. It's simple economics. I think politics is very under representative of the youth and need to be more directly influenced by younger people. Then they will understand what is really happening with the younger generation of people!"
While a dim appetite for taking on jobs might be one of the reasons young people of Britain are without work, there is a wide range of other factors that contribute to youth unemployment:
"Securing an interview presently can come across as such an achievement as many people do not even get that far. Consequently, the number of people and even youngsters on JSA has increased, it's no wonder they have no energy as an end result. However, it does not help that Mr Johnson is making such statements by comparing the UK workforce to "hard-working foreigners" as there are so many adverse factors already affecting people finding jobs. Our London Mayor needs to take a back seat and introduce plans to create more jobs rather than making statements that have the opposite affect."
Some are taking a rather different view, agreeing with Mayor Johnson in saying that work motivation is a crucial factor and that sometimes you just have to be bold and change the usual career path:
"I retrained as journalist after my Software Engineering degree in London in 2008 and ended up doing quite a few internships (because the job market tanked) when I was job hunting, eventually I got sick of interning (basically unpaid work) so I decided to do some voluntary work with an NGO in Bangladesh. Now I'm working in Dubai in PR. Sometimes a drastic change of scenery (or a swift kick up the backside!) helps to bring things back into perspective when you think your career options are limited to one region or country. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to chip in, for all his craziness, Boris Johnson is absolutely right about the poor work ethic of modern British youth."
Others go as far as saying that Britain might lose the lead if it doesn't keep up with the enthusiasm of other emerging countries:
"Unfortunately, how crude it may sound I agree with statement. If people do no realise this, the development of countries like China and Brazil is going up while the relatively UK is declining. People cannot be surprised (am not saying in the near future) but in the feature if they, for example, cannot find themselves travelling as much as before but having tourist flooding in to this country."
What is your take on this debate? Is Britain indeed slacking with job offers, disregarding the economic crisis that is still on-going? Or is the situation really as bad as not being able to keep up with the pool of young talent fresh from universities? Give us your comments here.
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Are You Ready? Bringing Enterprise In EducationPosted on Thursday 26 January 2012 at 11:46AM by trrpaipai |
Enternships is a big fan of initiatives that bring enterprise and business innovation forward. We love those that involve young people even more and this is precisely what 'Are You Ready?' is all about: a comprehensive programme and campaign to create an urgently needed culture of enterprise in education.
Their approach is to harness ‘enterprise’ as a vehicle for transformation – raising aspirations, developing skills and bringing the community together through schools and colleges to create a more prosperous future. The 'Are you ready?' experience and belief is that young people need to be enterprising, develop an entrepreneurial mindset and have the confidence and ambition to take on the challenges and opportunities of life in the 21st century.
How it all started
It’s been six years since they launched their first enterprise programme and the ‘Ready’ model and ‘Inspire’ enterprise training are now internationally acclaimed. The original project, Rotherham Ready, won the prestigious Enterprising Britain competition for ‘creating a culture of enterprise’ and Rotherham was named the ‘Most Enterprising PlaceinBritain’ 2010 as a result.
The national programme ‘Are You Ready?’ won the StartUp Britain ‘Best Enterprise Support Award’ at the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in 2011. This project received very good feedback from OFSTED too – after HMI spent a week in 2008 looking at how it inspired schools and colleges to give enterprise education a high priority.
This team believes that education has a key role to play in helping young people prepare for the challenges and opportunities of life in the 21st century and that supporting them to be ‘enterprising’ is a key part of their development. Can't argue with that!
How they do it
The 'Ready' target has a bold and unique take: they target young people – from four-years-old right up to young adults of 19 – to ensure a progressive development of enterprise skills, qualities and knowledge. Attitudes and mindsets are formed at an early age, so it is critical that we start developing enterprising skills, qualities and knowledge in the primary years and ensure it progresses through secondary education and beyond.
The idea is to train teachers to develop enterprise through the curriculum and as part of school culture so that enterprise is not seen as a bolt on – it is seen as an approach to teaching and learning and a way of giving relevance and meaning to the curriculum and school life. The ‘Inspire Pioneers’ tour aims to take this acclaimed training programme around the UK, working with teaching practitioners from Early Years to Higher Education.
The campaign
In November 2011 a campaign was launched and HM e-petition to highlight some of the major challenges faced by young people and our society. The campaign and e-petition call on the government to do three things:
- Make enterprise and entrepreneurship education a key part of all young people’s learning entitlement through the National Curriculum.
- Make enterprise and entrepreneurship education part of teacher training and development.
- Make enterprise and entrepreneurship education part of the Ofsted inspection framework.
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Business in You: new campaign launched by Prime Minister David Cameron and StartUp BritainPosted on Monday 23 January 2012 at 12:31PM by trrpaipai |
Everyone is capable of setting up a business; you just need to find your passion. This is the message in the new campaign being launched today in Leeds by the Prime Minister and StartUp Britain, whose co-founder is Enternships’ CEO Rajeeb Dey.
StartUp Britain will join the Prime Minister in Leeds this morning to spearhead the new campaign, which aims to inspire and support the people of Britain into becoming entrepreneurs.
“Enterprise is what we do in Britain. This is the year that, more than ever, we've got to go for it", said Cameron who is determined to “get behind Britain's grafters, doers, hard-workers and entrepreneurs”.
The ‘Business in You’ initiative comes in support of other projects the government has rolled up for small firms and would-be entrepreneurs, including making the government's disused office space available on short-term leases to them. This campaign will provide help in the form of free video tutorials, workshops and web-based seminars.
The message StartUp Britain co-founder and Enternships CEO sends is clear: “The jobs and growth will come from entrepreneurs and thus I'm particularly keen to send the message out to young people to look at entrepreneurship as a viable and rewarding career path and that in the midst of the bleak employment market entrepreneurship provides hope and opportunity”, says Rajeeb Dey.
The campaign is championed by successful businesses and entrepreneurs, including Huddle’s Alastair Mitchell, Paul Lindley from Ella’s Kitchen, Moonfruit’s Wendy Tan-White and Richard Moross, Moo.com.
Whilst unemployment continued to increase a change has also been registered in terms of work patterns with the number of self-employed people and part-time workers rising considerably. A possible scenario might be that people have decided to take control of their future, become entrepreneurs and start their own businesses. This campaign launched by StartUp Britain and the Prime Minister aims to highlight that support is out there to help them fulfil their ambitions.
StartUp Britain and Enternships are a big fan of such projects because, as founder Rajeeb Dey puts it, “young people have the ability to not only take a job but in fact make a job; let’s make 2012 the year of the entrepreneur."
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Breakthrough Initiative Boosts Entrepreneurship in the UKPosted on Friday 13 January 2012 at 13:25PM by trrpaipai |
Saving the economy? Driving innovation? Piece of cake! Enternships is proud to announce a new partnership with Santander Group in a new initiative that is bound to bring the best graduate talent to work with the fastest growing SMEs in the UK.
Breakthrough Enternships is part of a larger program which provides investment for fast-growth SMEs and supports local enterprise and community initiatives in order to help create jobs, inspire tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and fuel a private sector-led economy.
The problem: It’s ironic that in the current economic climate employers are struggling to find good people while graduates are expressing concern over their ability to access the jobs they want. The Breakthrough programme’s Enternship initiative addresses these recruitment issues while providing not only valuable experience for the next generation of businesspeople but also fresh recruits for today’s talent-hungry employers.
The solution: Under this programme, Santander seeks to identify and support successful, fast-growth SMEs as they work to break through to the next level. Spanning across four to five years, Breakthrough will make £200 million available for investment in up to 50 businesses that fall under the category of ‘Growth Champions’.
What’s in for the enterns
Enterns can gain valuable first-hand experience by contributing to a business where their drive and education can make a tangible impact. They can also find a route into smaller companies that may not otherwise benefit from a typical graduate recruitment programme, allowing Enterns to work more closely with senior staff. Getting that first break can often make all the difference between landing a promising career and remaining on the shelf, and having the Santander brand on your CV could make all the difference to an employer.
What’s in for the employers
Businesses taking part in the scheme gain access to the valuable skills of an enthusiastic entern who is keen to learn and make a contribution. Santander will fully fund the placements, also handling the associated administration and marketing. In addition, there is also the longer-term benefit that results from matching motivated graduates to businesses looking to fill permanent positions.
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Enternships Roundup: What's New In The World Of Internships And Youth UnemploymentPosted on Thursday 12 January 2012 at 10:58AM by trrpaipai |
Lots of media coverage in the past few months and plenty more to come we suspect. Considering the latest figures in unemployment and the ongoing economic instability, the terms graduate jobs and internships will pretty much be on our lips on an ongoing basis. Elliot Whitehead, who has been our entern for the last three weeks or so, was in charge of monitoring the news and keep us updated with the latest developments. Here's what he gathered.
According to data from the Office for National Statistics, youth unemployment in the UK rose to a record high of over 1 million in the third quarter of 2011. This is a worrying statistic for the so called 'lost generation' and there has been some interesting articles and debate in recent press regarding unemployment, internships, students and graduates.
The eternal debate
The paid vs unpaid debate continues, and the issue looks set to become more prominent with campaigns such as the NUS's 'Unpaid internships: We can't work for free' which calls for an end to unpaid internships, gathering steam.
Furthermore, both the X Factor and fashion houses were in the press for facing claims of using unpaid interns. HRMC sent cautionary letters to 102 fashion houses that exhibited during London Fashion Week in September, but did not name them publicly. Personally, I feel that the issue is more complex than 'pay all interns!' (although generally I feel that at least expenses should be paid) as for some start ups and smaller companies this is not possible. When this is the case these businesses must make sure that their interns gain some valuable experience in return for their work, although really this should be the case in all internships whether paid or not.
However I do worry that some so called 'interns' are often seen as free disposable labour by employers, and many graduates often ask when will this cycle end and how many internships will they need to do before they get a proper job? For example, I have a friend who got their dream job through an internship, but then I also know someone else who worked for 6 months unpaid with no expenses and was not offered a job at the end so felt rather exploited as her work was almost the same as some of her paid co-workers.
Signs of change
There needs to be a positive change towards this and the government must encourage it. If their work is valued, this should be shown through pay and/or a structured learning experience for the intern. Some good news related to this is Nick Clegg's announcement of the 'Youth Contract', a £1 billion scheme aimed at helping young unemployed people find work or education opportunities, which seems encouraging and will come into action in April 2012. The Youth Contract will provide at least 410,000 new jobs for 18 to 24 year olds over a three-year period, and there will be 160,000 job subsidies available worth up to £2,275 each for businesses who take on an 18-24 year-old from the Work Programme.
Meanwhile, David Cameron announced a new £250 million scheme for businesses to be given the power to design, develop and purchase the vocational training programmes they need. Furthermore, one article states that one in three London SMEs is to hire in the first quarter of 2012 and another that Britain's youngest SMEs could add £360 million to the UK economy.
International progress
There has also been some big news regarding internships internationally. Firstly The White House announced its Summer Jobs initiative, with the government pledging to provide almost 180,000 paid jobs, internships and other “employment opportunities” through training and mentoring programs by this summer.
In India, SNDT University is planning on introducing a compulsory internship programme for its postgraduate students to make them more employable in the future. I think programmes like this are a great step in the right direction and feel that universities should work more with businesses in these ways to make their graduates more employable. The government should help this wherever possible to make sure that the young people of today do not become the 'lost generation' after all.
A positive future?
In conclusion , I feel that whilst there is still room for progress to be made (for example I would like to see perhaps a more concrete legislation or financial backing from the government regarding paying interns) it seems that with the Youth Contract and the other campaigns announced positive action is being taken.
Furthermore, with public pressure on companies exploiting unpaid interns and reports showing the SME and start up sector having the potential to do well, 2012 could be a good year for interns and graduate employment as long as these initiatives are fulfilled. It is also important to remember one's own entrepreneurial spirit and if you can't take a job then make a job! So finally here are some encouraging examples of young people in entrepreneurship tackling unemployment themselves.
Authors
