Oct 21

CEIA Position on Unpaid Internships

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Developed this summer, but currently making the rounds on the Internship-Net listserv, the Cooperative Education & Internship Association (CEIA) has released its position statement on the issue of unpaid internships.

For context, concerns over the increase in unpaid internships came to a head in a New York Times article from April 2010. The article examined the legality of unpaid internships, which sparked many questions and conversations in the internship community. A coalition of university presidents, including Kevin Reilly, President of the UW System, issued their response to Secretary Solis of the Department of Labor and expressed concerns over the impact of stronger regulations on internships.

The legal issues have been confusing for many. The Department of Labor introduced Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under the Fair Labor Standards Act to help clarify matters. By the end of June 2010, the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) issued their position on unpaid internships.

CEIA’s position, from July 2011, is as follows:

CEIA aims to provide resources and guidance for educators and employers engaging in internship programs. This organization actively supports student participation in valuable internship experiences which offer dedicated supervision, meaningful and educationally relevant work, and opportunities for mentoring and networking. These experiences are to be of value to both parties, allowing for purposeful and effective outcomes.

Though employers decide if an internship will be funded, educators determine when an internship is credit worthy. CEIA supports the fact that academic credit is not the same as compensation. CEIA recognizes that there are also stipulations and guidelines which may impact financial compensation. All employers are strongly encouraged to follow rules and regulations pertaining to local and federal labor laws when determining remuneration options. Knowing there is not one universal procedure within the higher education community for documenting internships, employers are encouraged to acknowledge each educational institution’s policies in order to best serve the student.

What do you think about CEIA’s position statement?

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Oct 26

You’re Invited!

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Internships: What YOU Need to Know!
Paid vs. Unpaid from a Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Perspective

Speaker

Deborah Schmitz
Wage & Hour Investigator
Wage & Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor

Date/Time

Friday, December 10, 2010
9:00am to 10:30am

MACIC Business Meeting immediately following the presentation

Location

Bryant & Stratton College, Wauwatosa Campus

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Jun 30

NACE Issues Position Statements on Unpaid Internships

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The National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) has released a position statement on the issue of unpaid internships. If you will remember from this past spring, the issue of unpaid internships blew up nationwide, brought up in national publications like the New York Times and prompting a coalition of university presidents to issue a written response.

NACE President Shawn VanDerziel sent an email to membership highlighting the work done to date by the organization in developing a position statement on this issue. Employer and college members nationwide were surveyed on their practices and thoughts surrounding unpaid internships, and a roundtable was held at the NACE 2010 Annual Conference held in early June.

Based on NACE principles, beliefs, and assumptions along with information from the membership, NACE developed the following position statement:

“The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), representing more than 3,000 higher education institutions and employing organizations, recognizes the enormous value of internship programs to individual student participants and both the higher education and employer communities. We believe that the U.S Department of Labor criteria for assessing whether internships in the for-profit sector may be unpaid must be reviewed and further clarified to ensure they account for the incredible diversity of students, higher education institutions, and employing organizations involved in such programs. Further, all interns, regardless of their compensation, should enjoy similar, basic protections in the work setting consistent with all laws, ethical considerations, and sound business practices.”

NACE will be taking an active role with this issue as it moves forward, including hosting a webinar concerning unpaid internships on July 26 (more details to come). Legal advisers to NACE are also developing a FAQ document to assist us (employers and colleges) as we work with internships.

MACIC will continue to post information and developments as they arise.

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Apr 22

Internships Under Fair Labor Standards Act: Dept. of Labor Fact Sheet

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The U.S. Department of Labor has published a fact sheet to further explain and raise awareness of the six-prong test for unpaid internships:

Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act

From his conversations with the Dept. of Labor, Richard Bottner, President of Intern Bridge, states that, “The DOL is not currently on a mission of enforcement.” Most of the DOL’s enforcement of internship-related FLSA concerns is, and will be, complaint-driven. This current campaign to raise awareness of the issues surrounding unpaid internships is being targeted at for-profit organizations, and the DOL’ s position is that all for-profit internships should be paid.

This is a complex issue and the legal environment can only change if Congress were to pass internship-specific laws, such as those proposed by the Economic Policy Institute.

If you are interested in learning more about this issue, Intern Bridge is hosting a free webinar, “Paving the Way through Paid Internships,” on Tuesday, May 4, 2010. You can learn more about the webinar and register to participate at www.internbridge.com/workshops/epi.htm.

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Apr 20

EPI Policy Memorandum on Unpaid Internships

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The Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit Washington DC think tank that focuses on the condition of low- and middle-income Americans and their families, has published a Policy Memorandum on the regulation of internships, “Not-So-Equal Protection: Reforming the Regulation of Student Internships.” It is a worthwhile read for those of you concerned over or keeping track of this issue:

EPI-Reforming Regulation of Student Internships

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Apr 16

Legal Issues Surrounding Internships – Legal Q&A with NACE

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In their February 2010 issue of the NACE Journal, the National Association of College and Employers published a Q&A piece about some of the legal issues surrounding internships. Likely in light of recent news articles, this piece has been made open to the public until April 30, 2010. After that date, it will once again be available to NACE members only.

Legal Q&A: What are some of the legal issues surrounding internships?
By George C. Hilavac, Esq., and Edward J. Easterly, Esq.
February 2010 NACE Journal

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