It gives opportunities to young people right across the country to make their first steps in journalism… and no doubt played a founding role in landing Laura her dream job at NME.

This is what she has to say about her experience:

In May 2005 I was appointed BBC Cornwall’s Blast Reporter, which entailed spending the summer running my own section of the BBC Cornwall website. I interviewed bands, jewellery designers and the inventor of the first biodegradable surfboard, took photos of the Eden Sessions and played at being a real journalist for the summer. The same scheme went on in the majority of the BBC’s local newsrooms. With our sections being primarily arts-based and aimed at fellow teenagers, our duty as reporters was to file at least one article and diary entry per week in exchange for rigorous BBC training in internet content management systems, professional recording equipment, and safety procedures.

And this on the real impact of the BBC decision:

… the people who will miss Blast – in particular its work experience placements and free event and workshop tours – are a group chronically underserved by commercial media, which is in complete antithesis to the BBC’s justification for proposing various closures on account of intruding on the competition. That group includes young people in geographically remote areas, away from the London-centric media world – regions like Cornwall, where there are very few other opportunities for teenagers to get experience in the limited local press that exists here. It includes kids whose parents/aunties/godfathers aren’t industry highflyers, able to wangle their progeny work experience placements on account of the family name; kids who wouldn’t make it to Oxbridge – still renowned for giving applicants a leg-up into the Beeb – but who nonetheless have incredible skills to offer. Blast is open to kids from any social background, making them feel comfortable in a very middle class industry, and the application process is the same as any fair, equal opportunities job application – proving that you’re worthy of the job because of your enthusiasm and achievements.

Why would the BBC be cutting BLAST at a time when job opportunities for young people are so limited and the current internship culture so often benefits those with money or geographically based in London? Also why did 6 Music get so much attention and this didn’t! Read the full article here. And if you tweet (we really should more.. then join the twitter campaign here).

If I am elected leader of the Labour Party I will campaign for Labour’s Minimum Wage Act to be fully enforced so that employers must pay their interns what they are due.

So far a rather dapper looking Andy Burnham has signed it, and the Milibands have agreed to as well. No news on Ed Balls… and Diane Abbott would be a suprise because we have heard the number of unpaid interns she has could reach double figures! One spoke to us recently to say she worked unpaid for a year and a half before being given a paid role. Real social justice there Diane, you hypocrite.

On the campaign, I think it’s a great idea to use this attempted renewal of the Labour Party to get interns on the agenda. With more young people graduating in a tough economic climate, it’s time politicians enforced the national minimum wage laws they themselves brought in. Intern Aware need to be congratulated for taking this to the top.

Recently having finished the taught part of my post graduate course I am now in that limbo between the taught section and the thesis submission deadline of my Masters. I was “lucky” enough to secure an “internship”. I was asked to do it for three months with the possibility of a job at the end of it. The remuneration would not even cover the cost of the Luas back and forth from the job. I would learn invaluable skills and get hands on experience. This was not the crux of the internship offer though. I was assured that this three month trial period was not just to see if I was suited to the organisation but more importantly if the organisation was suited to me. What type of industry are we in that a company will offer someone the opportunity to work pro gratis to see if the organisation is suited to the individual. Can you imagine if McDonalds applied this formula? “Well done you are now a member of the McDonalds team but first we would like you to work for free for three months just to make sure that the organisation is suited to you?”

Read the rest.

To ask the Leader of the House, if he will bring forward proposals to establish a fund for payment of interns working for hon. Members.

Written Questions: Notices given on Wednesday 21 July

Let’s wait and see what the response will be. Hopefully it will arrive before the summer hols.

This Early Day Motion has just been published:

EMPLOYMENT TERMS FOR HON. MEMBERS’ STAFF UNDER THE INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY

That this House notes with grave concern the reduced employment terms and conditions for staff of hon. Members under the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) expenses scheme; recognises the real terms reduction in hon. Members’ staffing budgets and urges IPSA to raise the staffing limit for hon. Members in the forthcoming review; further notes that redundancy rights have been reduced to a statutory basis, removing discretion to reward loyalty; further notes that hon. Members are also prevented from rewarding good performance through bonus payments to staff; urges IPSA to work towards the creation of a human resources department; further urges IPSA to reconsider the decision no longer to deduct trade union subscriptions at payroll; calls on IPSA to amend the expenses scheme so that payments related to maternity leave and cover can be made from a separate budget and not treated as contingencies; further recognises that in practice many Parliamentary internships qualify for the national minimum wage and further urges IPSA to create an interns fund fairly to pay them; further recognises that public anger at the previous expenses scheme was not due to staff costs and therefore opposes any arbitrary publication of staff salary details; and further urges IPSA to work alongside the Unite Parliamentary Staff Branch and other staff associations to resolve these issues.

and these MPs have signed it:

Jack Dromey
John Cryer
Bob Russell
Grahame M. Morris
Mr Peter Bone
Teresa Pearce
Ian Lavery
Kelvin Hopkins
Mr Michael Meacher
Pamela Nash
Luciana Berger
Mr Andy Slaughter
Andrew Gwynne
Mark Durkan

Interestingly Andy Slaughter is a serial user (or is it abuser) of unpaid interns. See here, here and here.