Following our article on the graduate talent pool earlier this week, Sulove Bothra, founder and CEO of www.internStar.com responds to comments from entrepreners that unpaid internships are unfair and antiquated. Sure Harrison, founder of Studentgems.com told Real Business: “Graduates are facing sky-rocketing levels of debt and deserve to be paid for what they contribute. Too many businesses have a cheapskate attitude to taking on students and graduates and seem to think they are doing them a favour by giving them work experience and that should be enough. It isn?t. Get real, get a good graduate and get your business moving with motivated, talented new people.” Bothra disagrees. ?Internships allow businesses to mitigate risk by trying out a candidate first, offering a better alternative to direct recruitment,? he says. ?The main reason why so many SMEs are not tapping into the fresh talent many graduates have to offer is the amount of time and effort involved in finding the right candidate. InternStar acts as a quality matching service for both sides, and takes away the headache of searching from scratch.? Bothra further advocates unpaid internships alongside paid-for roles. ?For most interns, considerations such as a competitive salary and perks are mostly secondary to their implicit desire to learn and gain valuable experience that will put them ahead in today?s job market,” he says. ?Small and medium-sized businesses not only offer more rounded and real-life work experience for highly skilled professions, but potentially have the most to gain from fresh and talented individuals.? Stephan Gagnon, co-founder of Stargate Capital, an emerging markets investment house, has been working with post-graduate interns over the last six months and feels that the benefits far outweigh the time spent training an intern. ?Internships for me traditionally conjure up images of bored teenagers making tea, which is probably why I had never taken the process that seriously,” he admits. “But speaking to graduates and even young professionals who clearly have done their homework and know what they want to achieve out of an internship, you realise how keen they are to get a foot in the door and learn the basics.? ?Different businesses will have different needs,” he continues. “For me it was vital that the candidates were of a high calibre with real aspirations. InternStar works at this level, so one of my interns actually had previous financial services experience in the States and just wanted to move into something more specific in the UK. ?A permanent role has just been offered to the intern in question and accepted, so of course I?m delighted with the outcome,? he concludes. Across the pond, internships are an increasingly popular way of ?landing that job,? with employers extending offers to 73 per cent of past interns. So is there a future for a similar system to really work in the UK? Bothra is convinced. ?Over the last few decades, Britain has transitioned into being a service economy, and the eroded apprenticeship model has to be refined to suit the needs of businesses today,” he says. “Candidates today constantly have to keep current with the latest skills and work experience to remain competitive against a global workforce. ?Current tough job market conditions now mean more competition for Britain?s graduates, and relevant work experience helps people to get a firm footing on the career ladder. Present government initiatives have confirmed that internships are valuable, and private companies like InternStar will help support smaller businesses by finding them the right intern.? For more information visit www.internstar.com Related articlesWill entrepreneurs snap up the new crop of graduates? Internships afford a win-win situation Picture source
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.