GMTV chair and Skillset chairman Clive Jones will tomorrow (November 25) set out plans to make graduate internships in the Creative Media Industries as fair and open as possible.
He will unveil new code of practice plans, drawn up by Skillset in collaboration Creative & Cultural Skills, Arts Council England and Skillfast-UK, at a Universities UK (UUK) conference.
Plans include:
Time limiting work experience placements to no more than 160 hours;
Paying graduate internships at least the National Minimum Wage;
Advertising graduate internships schemes, which should last six months, openly.
Skillset chair Mr Jones said: “For too long getting into the highly competitive media world has often been defined by who, and not what, you know.
“It is high time that employers signed up to a code of practice to make highly sought after graduate internships, work experience and traineeships completely fair and open. An oversupply of graduates has also resulted in a culture of low and unpaid internships, which must be stamped out.”
Professor Geoffrey Crossick, Warden of Goldsmiths, University of London, said: “For graduates leaving the education system, entering the world of work is often a challenging and daunting step – particularly in highly competitive areas like the media. Producing these clear guidelines is a very helpful step forward, which will help to make this transition into the world of world easier for many graduates. I urge as many employers as possible to embrace them.”
Comments on the code of practice are invited until December 3. More information can be found at www.skillset.org/graduatecode. Comments can be sent to Julietr@skillset.org.
Mr Jones will be a panel speaker at the all-day UUK conference - Creating a Higher Vision: the HE contribution to the Creative Economy – taking place at Woburn House, Tavistock Square, London.