The intern economy in the cultural industry: an empirical study of the demand side

Internships are work-based learning experiences, but when they are unpaid and become the standard after formal education, they imply an opportunity cost and could add to the formation of obstacles to the socio-economic mobility that (public) education should seek to attenuate. The present study cons...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of education and work Vol. 33; no. 5-6; pp. 343 - 359
Main Authors Skujiņa, Rūta, Loots, Ellen
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 17.08.2020
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Advertising
Compensation (Remuneration)
Creative industries
Credentials
Cultural Background
cultural industry
demand
Economic Factors
Economic Impact
Education
Efficacy
Employers
Equal opportunities
Exhibits
Experiential Learning
Foreign Countries
Hiring
Industry
Internship Programs
Internships
Labor Needs
Literature
Meritocracy
Misconceptions
Mobility
Museums
Outcomes of Education
Personnel Selection
Program Effectiveness
Role
Social Mobility
socio-economic mobility
Socioeconomic factors
Supervision
Theater Arts
Unpaid
Visual Arts
Belgium
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Summary:Internships are work-based learning experiences, but when they are unpaid and become the standard after formal education, they imply an opportunity cost and could add to the formation of obstacles to the socio-economic mobility that (public) education should seek to attenuate. The present study consists of an evaluation of the intern economy in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Based on data of over 900 available positions in the cultural industry, we examine the demand for internships by organisations and address issues such as substitution and efficacy in the intern economy. We discuss our findings in light of some proposed misconceptions regarding the education-based meritocracy, related to the diminishing role of educational credentials in hiring decisions, the changing role of education in socio-economic mobility, and the overlooked role of employers that prioritise the productive efficiency of their organisations over equal opportunities.
ISSN:1363-9080
1469-9435
DOI:10.1080/13639080.2020.1820961