PRIA issues agency guidelines on use of interns
Industry body the Public Relations Institute of Australia has announced new rules around internships in an attempt to better clarify how agencies should utilise students who are placed with them.
The new internship guidelines are designed to ensure agencies, who often have university students placed with them, understand the requirements around reporting, insurance and management.
“A survey of consultancies also highlighted confusion about the employment status of interns, the need for confidentiality agreements, reporting and the application of policies such as occupational health and safety,” said Annabelle Warren, national chairman of the PRIA Registered Consultancies Group.
“The guidelines also clarify obligations within the Fair Work Act, and when a student intern is exempted from the act.”
PRIA national president Teri-Helen Gaynor welcomed the move and said it had come about after numerous rounds of consultation between universities, agencies and PRIA.
“This document further encourages best practice internship programs to boost the quality of experience, which is so important for young practitioners” said Gaynor.
The announcement comes only weeks after PRIA announced a revised membership structure and also revealed it was looking at a move toward industry accreditation.
The details of the new internship policy can be found on the PRIA website.
Nic Christensen
Good, it’s absolutely overdue. The advertising industry will hopefully follow suit, the treatment of interns in our industry is unacceptable. If someone works for you, pay them.
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Anon, this technically would make that an employee and I don’t make a habit of hiring employees who don’t have any skills who I have to train for the luxury of them checking out my joint….More legislative bullshit. I interned and survived… I remember scrubbing the walls with gumption to get my foot in the door. These kids need to get real.
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