At the end of this week there will be a vote in the house of commons on a bill thatﾠwould require companies to pay interns at least the minimum wage for their work.
Since the beginning of 2015, we have been running our own internship programme, Constructing Futures, which helps recent Graduates with little or no relevant work experience get their first opportunity in the Scottish Construction Industry.ﾠ
So far we have placedﾠ35 graduatesﾠin internship roles and both, directly and indirectly, this has led to 10ﾠGraduates gaining full-time employment on completion of their placement (most placements are 6-8 weeks in duration for a couple of days per week).ﾠ
Constructing Futures is open to all candidates irrespective of background and is designed to overcome the Catch 22 situation recent Graduates find themselves in; lack of work experience excludes them from the recruitment process, but how do they get that work experience without a job?ﾠ
It’s neither accurate nor fair to believe that problems in one sector of the economy are the same as those in other sectors. If this bill was current law thenﾠ10 Graduates wouldn’t currently be working in the Construction Industry at a time when the sector is suffering from an ageing workforce and skills shortages at more senior levels.
