Pay up for internships

The TUC has issued a warning over the coalition government’s plan to encourage internships as part of its strategy to improve social mobility.

Introducing the plans earlier this month, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said that Whitehall would open up work placements to all youngsters, and that more businesses would be encouraged to do the same.

However, the TUC warned that such placements must be paid. General secretary Brendan Barber said that “there is a real danger that the spread of unpaid internships is undermining paid employment. At the very least, the government must make sure that interns receive the national minimum wage”.