Call to introduce wage for internships
Thursday, 13 January 2011 09:44
The Government is being urged to consider introducing a £2.50-an-hour wage for internships lasting three months or longer.
The call came from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and forms part of its new agenda for 2011.
In its new Blueprint for Growth, the business group suggests incorporating the training wage as part of the national minimum wage legislation. It claims that the measure could help boost the UK’s economic growth and productivity.
The CIPD has also called on ministers to raise awareness among employees of the 2012 pension reforms and extend the right to request flexible working to all workers.
The group’s chief economic advisor, John Philpott, said: ‘The Government wants to foster a strong, private sector-led, economic recovery, but we have yet to see a coherent strategy for economic growth to sit alongside the Chancellor's very clear-cut approach to reducing the fiscal deficit.
‘The coalition needs to show greater urgency in implementing measures to help boost the long-run supply side capacity of the UK economy, which must include efforts to boost productivity by improving the way in which businesses manage the people they employ.
‘There needs to be a step-change in the UK's leadership and people management skills if we are to close productivity gaps with our international competitors.’