Call to ban unpaid internships to improve access to top jobs

Unpaid internships should be banned to prevent young people missing out on jobs in top professions, a new report has said.

The report by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on social mobility calls on more work to be done on giving teenagers key skills - such as confidence and teamwork - that are needed in the workplace.

It says "significant barriers" are preventing youngsters from getting jobs in top professions, such as law, journalism and medicine.

They also call for employers to use "contextual recruitment" to hire candidates on the achievements they gained given their background - for example if they came from a disadvantaged neighbourhood or under-performing school.

Employers should also advertise internships publicly and recruit candidates based on merit, instead of networks.

The report said: "The Government should ban unpaid internships.

"Employers need to review their work experience policies to ensure access is fair and transparent, ensuring that all posts are publicly advertised to allow a more diverse range of candidates to apply.

"Employers look for confidence, resilience, social skills and self-motivation in their employees, but for those who have had little to no exposure to extracurricular activities, work experience or mentoring, these skills can be difficult to acquire.

"A clear message from our evidence sessions was that we need to become better at inspiring our youngsters to reach their full potential, especially for those who start out at a disadvantage."