'Outdated practice' | Employers support ban on unpaid internships as working-class graduates lose out on growing route into careers

There is a growing gap between working-class and middle-class graduates in getting into increasingly important internship routes into careers, new research reveals.

The Sutton Trust says this is driven by employers continuing to underpay interns and to give opportunities to family and friends rather than advertising them. This comes as the Government is expected to announce tighter controls on the illegal practice of companies asking interns to work for free or below the minimum wage.

A poll of recent graduates, conducted by Public First for the Sutton Trust, shows that over half (51%) have undertaken an internship, a growth of 12 percentage points since 2018. A quarter (27%) have taken part in multiple internships. Graduates in London were significantly more likely to have undertaken an internship than those in the West Midlands, Yorkshire, Scotland and Wales.

Polling of employer HR decision-makers conducted by YouGov for the Sutton Trust reveals that almost three fifths of those surveyed (59%) now offer internships, up from 48% in 2018, indicating the growing importance of internships as a route into professional careers. Almost a third of graduates say they were only able to access their current job thanks to their internship.