FEATURE
A DECADE OF NCWE AWARDS
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experience was once aligned with making tea and photocopying, but today’s interns leave with a portfolio of skills and contacts for furthering their careers. It’s now widely recognised as one of the most effective ways of gaining skills which might lead to employment.
This year the National Council for Work Experience (NCWE) Awards celebrates 10 years. Mike Hill, chief executive of the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU), which runs the NCWE, reflects on how internships have changed in a decade.
T
he NCWE Awards have become the most widely recognised and prestigious awards in their
category, encouraging and rewarding UK employers who provide valuable internships to students and graduates. Part of their success is down to the increased
prominence of work experience. It has been one of the more significant employment developments over the past decade and has enjoyed a great deal of improvements – not only in the surge of opportunities available, but also in standards and expectations. Work experience was once aligned with making tea and photocopying, but today’s interns leave with a portfolio of skills and contacts for furthering their careers. It’s now widely recognised as one of the most effective ways of gaining skills which might lead to employment. Industry research reports that around 40% of graduate vacancies are filled by applicants who have already worked for the organisation as an undergraduate. Virtually all of the UK’s leading graduate employers offer paid work experience programmes, and the government has also done its bit, funding Graduate Talent Pool, which brings graduates and SMEs together. The increased profile of work experience has spurred debate surrounding the payment – or not – of interns. This is a cause that we continue to champion, arguing strongly that any kind of work should be paid at least the minimum wage, unless there are certain over-riding factors, such as if the scheme is clearly rewarded with academic credits. There is still some way to go to change current attitudes and practices, particularly in sectors such as media, politics and advertising. But there has been some progress in providing guidance for employers. In 2011 the new National Minimum Wage (NMW) guidelines launched, providing the first prescriptive direction on how the NMW should be applied to work experience. The TUC, backed by the government and several major employers’ institutes, has also published the first Best Practice Code for High Quality Internships. By providing more clarity, there is less ambiguity and both the employer and the worker have since been better
protected. Internships should not just be for the wealthy and so guidelines like these go some way to help create a fairer market. Offering work placements has become a crucial method
of recruiting and developing a talented and skilled workforce. I asked some of the employers that we work with to reflect on the last decade. Here is what they had to say:
“The energy sector is forever changing and we realise how important it is to get the best talent in to ensure we stay ahead of the game. Over the last 10 years we have increased the number of opportunities as we understand that work experience provides students an opportunity to gain some vital employability skills which will benefit us and UK Plc. Students who complete work experience placements are now becoming a feed into other talent pipelines, allowing companies to secure talent early.” Eva Malecki, Graduate and MBA Recruitment Manager at Centrica
“More companies are now recognising the importance of work experience as a two way opportunity – the intern develops useful skills and heightens their commercial awareness making them more employable in the future. The business benefits from harnessing and building connections with future talent with fresh ideas and building links with universities. Over the last 10 years, recognition of this has led to some exciting and opportunistic programmes being developed.” Hayley Barrie, recruitment manager at Lidl
“More universities are encouraging students to take placements which are very highly regarded by employers and students alike. For employers, offering them is the start of their talent pipeline and many high potential interns return as graduates. There is greater emphasis about work experience being a valuable addition to a CV which is be beneficial when applying for roles on graduation.” Andrea Labrum, graduate recruitment at Lockheed Martin.
www.work-experience.org
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