The nature and prevalence of internships1

Abstract

This chapter outlines some of the ways in which internships can be defined, categorised and distinguished from other forms of work-based learning. It explores what is known about their prevalence, in particular from large-scale surveys in Europe and Australia. It also highlights four persistent policy concerns that emerge from the literature on internships: whether they deliver quality training; whether they provide a bridge from education to paid work, as they are often promised to do; whether unpaid or low-paid internships impede social mobility; and whether such arrangements may be displacing paid employment and undermining labour standards.