The Debate Over Unpaid College Internships
Dr. Phil Gardner, Lead Research Advisor
Total Internship Management |
$49.95 - Use coupon code "freeship" during checkout for free shipping! |
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
According to most college and university career advisors and work study counselors, the number of college internships, both paid and unpaid, has steadily risen over the past twenty years. With the number of new unpaid internships outpacing the paid internships being offered, 2010 has seen the advent of a heated national debate among college administrators, economists, the media, and government as to whether unpaid internships are legal, economically discriminatory, racist, and generally fair in terms of who benefits the most — the student or the employer. This debate concerns questions relating to both for-profit and non-profit internships, and the inherent differences between internships in the manufacturing, service, communications, technology, and financial sectors of our economy.
The argument has been that unpaid internships have a stronger impact on students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds than students from wealthier families. It is a philosophy that Intern Bridge has taken for several years. Admittedly, we were wrong. Recent data from the the National Internship and Co-op Study, a detailed look at internships based on survey responses from over 20,000 students nationwide, reveals interesting and unexpected patterns regarding who actually participates in unpaid internships, the types of organizations that host them, and the impact these experiences have on students.
Table of Contents
- Introductions
- The Sample
- Who Participates in Unpaid Internships?
- Who Offers Unpaid Internships?
- Paid Versus Unpaid: A Comparison by Family Income and Type of Provider
- For-Profit Unpaid Internships: Only for the Rich?
- What Did We Learn? Conclusions and Recommendations
About The Author
Dr. Phil Gardner is the Director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University. Prior to joining MSU, Dr. Gardner spent six years on the faculty at the University of California, Riverside. His research interests cover the transition from college to work and early workplace socialization; labor market dynamics for college educated employees, especially career development; student engagement, learning and competency development; and impact of the first and second year of college on commitment to learning.
In addition to membership in various professional organizations, Dr. Gardner serves as senior editor for The Journal of Cooperative Education and Internships. Dr. Gardner has been quoted countless times in national media regarding the college labor market, and has presented his data on numerous occasions to national and regional audiences such as the Human Capital Institute, Campus Recruiting Forum, and Monster.
