The UK cannot afford to accept the proliferation of unpaid internships that cripple social mobility, entrench inequality and jeopardise our economic future

Unpaid internships have become a way for graduates to gain experience in their chosen work environment and there have been calls for an increase in such practices in response to a weakening job market and rising youth unemployment. A recent article published in The Sunday Times entitled ‘A little bit of slavery does us all good’ provides a quintessential outline of this argument. But, as Paul Rainford explains, internships are often not open to all and in some cases are blatantly exploitative of young workers. A new way of valuing and widening opportunities for interns is needed, otherwise the coalition’s claim of fairness is an empty one and the UK will jeopardise its economic future