News item | 10-10-2023 | 12:30
All students who do an internship for their training earn an appropriate internship allowance. Minister Dijkgraaf (Education) calls on the social partners of all sectors where this has not yet happened to make collective labor agreements on this. He makes this call in response to a study into internships in higher professional education that he is sending to Parliament today. The research among higher professional education students shows that teaching interns in particular usually do not receive compensation for their work. This also applies to many healthcare students.
Minister Dijkgraaf: “With the MBO internship pact, agreements have already been made with the educational and professional fields about, among other things, internship allowances. I want to see how we can also work on this for higher education. Social partners can make collective labor agreements about this. Because every student – MBO, HBO or WO – deserves an appropriate internship allowance. I find it worrying that educational interns usually do not receive compensation for their internship. Especially at a time with major staff shortages, all educational interns should be valued. And there is also room for improvement in healthcare when it comes to internship allowances.”
Research into internship allowances in collective labor agreements
Dijkgraaf, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, will annually investigate whether agreements on internship allowances are included in the collective labor agreements. And to have a good idea of the compensation that is paid, he is working with the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) on a new monitor. This must map the internship allowances of MBO, HBO and WO students annually.
Dijkgraaf says he is pleased that the collective labor agreement of both MBO and HBO themselves (concluded in the middle of this year) contains agreements about internship allowances for students who do an internship at an MBO or HBO institution. In some regions, employers in basic education are also setting a good example by offering trainees an internship allowance. The social partners in primary and secondary education have agreed in a collective labor agreement that they will investigate how an internship scheme could be organized and financed. Dijkgraaf assumes that they will take steps themselves in response to this.
Multiple studies on internships
As part of a series of studies into internships, higher professional education students from all years were asked about internship compensation, shortages and guidance. Although the majority of students receive an internship allowance (on average €342 per month), receiving such compensation is not common in all sectors. Students of economics, technology or ICT almost always receive an internship allowance. This is despite the fact that approximately only 1 in 5 education students receives an internship allowance.
Furthermore, almost 1 in 3 higher professional education students indicate that obtaining an internship position took a lot of effort. Dijkgraaf expresses his concern about this. He points out that colleges can use the financial resources from the National Education Program (NPO) to better guide students towards an internship. Dijkgraaf also wants to further explore whether additional agreements are needed for better internship guidance.
According to the minister, the finding that students with a migration background and female students in particular often experience difficulty finding an internship is very worrying. A small proportion of respondents see discrimination as a bottleneck when finding a place. For them, internship discrimination is still a daily reality. Last year, colleges, universities, the ministries of OCW and SZW, student organizations and employers signed a manifesto to tackle internship discrimination. This is also reflected in the MBO internship pact. Students must be guided in such a way that everyone has an equal chance of an internship.
The research into HBO internships is part of a series. In order to also gain an idea of internship compensation and supervision of students in academic education, the scope for the 3rd and final study will be expanded to include university students.