A recent article in Ri5 reported that a new survey of 18,000 students by TARGETjobs revealed that undergraduates are put off by unpaid internships BUT are still keen to gain alternative forms of work experience.

As expected, unpaid internships are not popular as frankly, students need money to live!  The new survey suggested, however, that undergraduates are really keen to broaden their skills and experience – on their own terms.

‘No less than 82% of respondents regarded extracurricular activities (e.g. managing the finances of a student society, setting up social enterprises, etc.) as valid forms of ‘work experience’.  The prime benefits students hope to gain from work experience are building up skills on their CV (71%) and adding to their practical knowledge (60%).  In addition, more than three-quarters (76%) of respondents thought that traditional part-time paid student jobs should also be counted as ‘relevant experience’ by employers.’

TARGETjobs’ head of editorial Steve James says “Students underestimate just how impressive getting involved in student societies can look on their CVs.  The key isn’t just to join a group, but to shape some aspect of its work.  If you restructure a society’s finances or increase its membership through some innovative scheme, then you are acting on a scale that you might not be able to through many placements.  This shows that students are still keenly aware of the need to acquire the necessary skills to make them more employable without feeling compromised.’

Let us know what you think!

Read more from this article and other news at ri5.co.uk.