Work guidance welcomed

BECTU has welcomed the publication of industry guidelines on work experience placements in the media.

The guidelines [414k pdf] have been published by Skillset and the Department of Trade and Industry.

They were produced under the auspices of Skillset. BECTU played an active role in the working group that drafted them.

This initiative followed a steady stream of complaints about abuse of work experience placements by some employers.

BECTU has encountered many cases of young people nominally on work experience placements, but really working without pay, sometimes for months on end.

The union has always argued that anyone who carries out work for an employer must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage (NMW). This view is now reflected in the new guidelines.

The guidelines also outline the limited circumstances where the law does allow a placement to be unpaid - for instance where it is part of a full-time Higher Education course, or is entirely voluntary.

BECTU Assistant General Secretary Martin Spence said: "BECTU welcomes these guidelines. Some employers have abused work experience placements in the past: we will be using the new guidelines to help stop that abuse.

"Until now genuine work experience placements, intended to give young people a feel for the industry, have been undermined by rip-off placements aimed at getting young people to work without pay. These guidelines help distinguish the genuine article from the rip-off."