Background

Work placements have been common for students on some HE courses, especially in vocational subjects, for a long time. In some sectors, in which demand for graduate positions exceeds supply, eg the media, public relations, politics and fashion, unpaid work experience before and after graduation has been common for many years, pre-dating national minimum wage legislation. The recent well-publicised rise in graduate unemployment and underemployment has, however, prompted more employers, encouraged by UK governments, eg through the Graduate Talent Pool 1, to promote internships, and universities and other agencies to broker them. Many internships are paid and adhere fully to national minimum wage legislation. In addition, some internships fall beyond the scope of existing legislation eg some internships with charities, very specific cases in which a volunteer is genuinely under no contractual obligation, those for students undertaking a maximum of one year’s work experience as part of their course and work shadowing 2. There are many reports, however, that some employers continue to offer internships which appear to contravene the legislation. Indeed the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) recently recommended that graduates on internships be paid less than the minimum wage 3. On the other hand, many individuals and organisations, eg the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) 4, are campaignin