Here’s think tank Demos, responding to the government’s new Social Mobility Strategy:

We’re welcoming many of the plans in the Coalition’s social mobility strategy.

The paper takes on policies recommended by Demos around parenting, early years, internships and vocational education.

Research by Demos says:

Undertaking an internship can provide a young person with valuable work experience; build and develop a variety of skills and boost their employability; and enable them to acquire contacts and networks, which may help their chances to gain employment in the future.

Opportunities to obtain such experience, however, are not fairly distributed; the costs of undertaking an internship can be prohibitive (our emphasis).
…
All this considered, despite being a valuable opportunity to gain vital work experience, build professional skills and develop a network of useful contacts; internships appear to remain an exclusive and expensive experience that few nongraduates from low-income backgrounds – let alone those with complex multiple needs who are currently NEET – can easily access.

And here’s how progressive think-tank Demos puts these principles into practice:

Demos runs an internship programme that seeks to provide successful candidates with the invaluable experience of working in an exciting and challenging think tank environment. Interns will have the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of Demos’ activities.

Demos interns come from all over – from London to overseas, during their gap year or after their PhD, in between a career direction change or straight out of university…

Internships are unpaid and voluntary, however we can help by paying travel and lunch expenses up to a maximum of £15 per day.

Reader comments

1. Liberal Conspiracy

   Demos think-tank likes social mobility but doesn't pay its interns http://bit.ly/g8L1i6

2. Greg Sheppard

   RT @libcon: Demos think-tank likes social mobility but doesn't pay its interns http://bit.ly/g8L1i6

3. sunny hundal

   RT @libcon: Demos think-tank likes social mobility but doesn't pay its interns http://bit.ly/g8L1i6

4. Get Labour Out

   RT @libcon: Demos think-tank likes social mobility but doesn't pay its interns http://bit.ly/g8L1i6

5. Kimmo Kallio

   RT @libcon: Demos think-tank likes social mobility but doesn't pay its interns http://bit.ly/g8L1i6

6. Martin McGrath

   Think tank Demos pwned by @libcon over the use of interns http://bit.ly/h1reOv

7. nelsoncook

   RT @libcon: Demos think-tank likes social mobility but doesn't pay its interns http://bit.ly/g8L1i6

8. sunny hundal

   Think-tank Demos loves social mobility too: its report says internships should be paid. But doesn’t follow own advice http://bit.ly/g8L1i6

9. Tanya de Grunwald

   RT @sunny_hundal: Even hink-tank Demos doesn't pay its internships http://bit.ly/g8L1i6 <<Does ANYBODY pay their junior staff any more??

10. Tanya de Grunwald

    RT @sunny_hundal: Even hink-tank Demos doesn't pay its interns http://bit.ly/g8L1i6 <<Does ANYBODY pay their junior staff any more??

11. Joshua Haddow

    Demos likes mobility but doesn’t pay its interns | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/lAxFu5F via @libcon

12. Justin Pickard

    RT @martinmcgrath: Think tank Demos pwned by @libcon over the use of interns http://bit.ly/h1reOv

13. Carl Gardner

    RT @sunny_hundal: Demos report says internships should be paid. But doesn’t follow own advice http://bit.ly/g8L1i6

14. The Small Places

    RT @carlgardner: RT @sunny_hundal: Demos report says internships should be paid. But doesn’t follow own advice http://bit.ly/g8L1i6

15. Pucci Dellanno

    RT @libcon: Demos think-tank likes social mobility but doesn't pay its interns http://bit.ly/g8L1i6

16. sheila mary roberts

    RT @libcon: Demos think-tank likes social mobility but doesn't pay its interns http://bit.ly/g8L1i6

17. James Iain McKay

    RT @libcon: Demos think-tank likes social mobility but doesn't pay its interns http://bit.ly/g8L1i6

18. Dr. Matt Lodder

    ? " Demos likes mobility but doesn’t pay its interns: Here’s think tank Demos, responding to the government’s … http://bit.ly/eErGKD "