[SUCULTURE]

Elitism of internships.

 

 

The inherent benefits of internships include job experience, research experience, mentorship with access to various work disciplines & departments, building confidence, developing a professional network, defining career goals, building a strong resume, securing good references/recommendations, and ultimately transitioning into a permanent more secure career.

 

The modern idea of internships evolved from medieval apprenticeships, where a skilled artisan was trained for a specified period of time.

 

Today, internships are designed to be a “talent pipeline” for highly selective industries, bridging the gap between school and work, and easing unemployment for undergraduate or graduate students. 

 

But this can be wishful thinking, and obscures an uglier reality. Internships, it has been argued, can be the face of privilege, creating a subtle system of exclusion, confining opportunities to young graduates who are able to work for pittance, and/or usually for nothing. Indeed, the reality is, getting into prestigious internship positions in industries such as finance, legal, hedge-fund, media, fashion, e.t.c, can prove difficult for graduates who have to support themselves financially in unpaid internships, for up to twelve weeks and sometimes longer, or who may not have the requisite financially backing from parents during this transitory period. The impact can affect a budding career negatively, in the long-term.

 

BLACK INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME – 10,000 Black Interns:

 

The 10,000 Black Interns Programme, co-founded by Dawid Konotey-Ahulu, Wol Kolade, Michael Barrington-Hibbert and Jonathan Sorrell, aims to disrupt the gridlocks in the internship and work-to-industry landscape.

 

The Diversity Project, orchestrated by 10,000 Black Interns sets out ambitious targets for strong cognitive inclusion and cognitive diversity in industry, pulling resources to address the underrepresentation of black talents, and thereby, actively improving the work prospects of young Black people in the United Kingdom.

 

 

The economic impact of an inclusive and diverse workforce:

 

Per the 2017 McGregor-Smith Review;

“The lost potential and productivity – both from these individuals being more likely to be out of work, or working in jobs where they are overqualified (and underutilised) – has a significant impact on the economy as a whole.”

 

 

The potential benefit to the UK economy from harnessing the untapped potential of BME talent, with full representation of BME individuals across the labour market, through improved participation and progression, is estimated to be £24 billion a year, which represents 1.3% of GDP16.

 

For training, and work opportunities, click on the below image;

 

 

 

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