Partner Article

Students suffer financially through work experience

Students put in millions of hours of unpaid work experience this summer to improve their chances of finding a job during the tough economic climate, according to new research.

Finance giant Abbey said the value of the work was worth more than £260 million to the UK economy and meant many students took a financial hit during their holidays.

The average length of free work experience was 17 days, although some students gave up eight weeks of their summer break to work for nothing, according to the report.

One in five of the 1,000 students surveyed said working for nothing this summer would have a serious impact on their finances, although most believed it would give them an advantage in terms of future job prospects.

The most popular sectors for unpaid work experience were health, medicine, pharmaceutical, veterinary sectors, charities and education.

Gillian Almond, head of Abbey current accounts, said: “This research shows the vital contribution students make to the UK economy, even before they have graduated.

“It is important for today’s students to be able to demonstrate that they have gained experience outside of mainstream education, but they will need to be financially savvy.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .