Comments on: Work Experience or Slavery?

By: Cat

Cat — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:53:49 +0000

In reply to mother.wife.me. Absolutely, There are real benefits to be had for everyone involved as long as everyone understands what's involved. Thanks for commenting.

By: mother.wife.me

mother.wife.me — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:05:01 +0000

I think there is a very clear place for work experience in this country, I did plenty when I was a student and one placement led to my first job.

I think though that it needs to have a clear frame work – including length of each placement alongside what each person should experience – i.e. not just making tea and photocopying.

To give a slightly different perspective, my husband has a business and the last two people he employed came to him, from a university his company has ties with, to do a short internship. They were both paid and the internships were for a pre-determined period of time. The benefit for them was that they got to prove themselves to an employer as well as learn on-the-job skills. The benefit to the company was that they got to ‘try-before-they-bought’ as it were. It can be expensive to recruit staff and it is even more costly to make a bad hire.

By: Cat

Cat — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:41:00 +0000

In reply to Elaine Livingstone. I agree entirely. Whether it's a good idea or not will completely depend on the quality of the experience the job seeker gets. If it is interesting and actually helps them get job, either in that company or somewhere else, then doing some work while they are there is no great hardship. On the other hand, if they are just going to be exploited and be no better off at the end then that's obviously not fair. The question is how will the government ensure it it the former that happens?

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By: Elaine Livingstone

Elaine Livingstone — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:45:56 +0000

but are there really any permanent jobs out there for them to be taking up? Or will they take on X amount of people, treat them as slaves whilst they have them for free, and then at the end of the training period get rid of the original X and take on a 2nd batch.
I truly believe people should work for their money if they able – but if the jobs are out there why are they not filled already by job seekers? – and there are plenty of genuine ones who want to work but cant find paid employment.
I also feel it depends on the current staff as well, I use to work for a well known DIY chain, and worked in my local store and was encouraged and trained to cover paint mixing, key cut, plant watering, shelf edge label replacement, cover service desk, answer phone as was everybody who wanted a bit of variety. I was a checkout operator to trade but jumped off at quiet times to go else where. I moved 25 miles up the road and so got a move to my then nearest store – and how I regretted that – a checkout operator operated the checkouts – nothing else, no training offered in other departments, if no customers you stood at the front of the shop ate sweeties and chatted – so some may get more useful training than others.
Nothings ever fair in this world if you shout loud enough, but tax payers knocking their pan in 40-50 hrs a week paying full rent etc and being worse off than the people they keep on income support isnt fair either

*Elaine climbs down off her soap box*