Internships and other forms of unpaid work experience are becoming increasingly common in Australia. Well-designed work experience programs can clearly play an important role in the transition from education to work. At the same time, however, numerous studies have highlighted a range of risks associated with the growth in such arrangements. This project involves a systematic review of the international unpaid work literature. It also explored, through quantitative surveys and qualitative interview data, the prevalence and nature of different forms of unpaid work in Australia. The research highlights the complexities of the practice for individual students and job-seekers and the implications for employers, universities, VET providers, parents and governments.
Centre contacts
Paula McDonald
Deanna Grant-Smith
Partners
Damian Oliver (UTS)
Andrew Stewart
Anne Hewitt (University of Adelaide)
Publications
- McDonald, Paula, Grant-Smith, Deanna (2020) Unpaid work experience and internships: A growing and contested feature of the future of work. In Wilkinson, Adrian, Barry, Michael (Eds.), The Future of Work and Employment, pp.33-48.
- Stewart, Andrew, Oliver, Damian, McDonald, Paula, Hewitt, Anne (2018) The nature and prevalence of unlawful unpaid work experience in Australia. Australian Journal of Labour Law, 31 (2), pp.157-179.
- Grant-Smith, Deanna, McDonald, Paula (2018) Ubiquitous yet ambiguous: An integrative review of unpaid work. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20 (2), pp.559-578.
- Grant-Smith, Deanna, McDonald, Paula (2018) Planning to work for free: Building the graduate employability of planners through unpaid work. Journal of Youth Studies, 21 (2), pp.161-177.
