02/08/2011

CIPD launches best practice internship guide

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), launched the Government's Common Best Practice Code for High-Quality Internships today.

The Code has been developed by the BIS Collaborative Forum on Fair Access to the Professions, and draws heavily on the CIPD's own internships guide, Internships that work: A guide for employers.

The guideline is designed to help organisations seeking to ensure fair, open and high-quality internships as a means of improving social mobility and enabling organisations to access wider talent pools.

Launching the Code at the Chartered Accountants' Hall, Jackie Orme, CIPD Chief Executive commented: "Internships are a valuable resource for those looking to improve their employability before taking their first step on the career ladder, but they must be fully accessible and operated to a high standard if they are to be of maximum benefit.

"We recognised this in our own internships guide and are pleased to see the message so comprehensively reinforced in this Code, which the Government have built around our earlier guidance. We hope that it will be effective at encouraging employers to provide the kind of placements that are rewarding to both young people and organisations."