Arts Group

Freshly returned from NUS Annual Conference 2010 it’s my pleasure to report on the Arts Group Policy that was passed by the sovereign body of the largest organization of its kind in the western world.

Safeguarding funding for arts subjects

NUS passed our calls for funding to be specifically identified and ringfenced for the subjects that feed the creative industries, in recognition of the continued and growing contribution that we make to the UK economy. In policy 301 of the Higher Education Zone, the conference acknowledged that:

Despite the substantial and growing contribution the creative and cultural sector makes to the UK economy, the Arts Subjects that feed them consistently face disproportionate cuts.

And in response has mandated the organization to:

For NUS to lobby for additional and protected funding allocation for subjects related to the Creative & Cultural Industries, in addition to any STEM Funding priorities

Fighting the exploitation of Unpaid Interns

After months of the National Executive failing to take any significant action on internships, the Conference passed policy endorsing the work of the Arts Group and other campaigns including Intern Aware and Internocracy. Our amendment (611a) in the Welfare Zone commits the NUS to act as follows:

1.  
   1. To work with Interns Aware, Internocracy, and Interns Anonymous to highlight the challenges facing students and graduates on unpaid internships.
   2. To lobby the Low Pay Commission to clamp down on employers who are breaking the law by not paying the national minimum wage where this is entitled.
   3. To work with the TUC to highlight to students their rights at work, and their entitlement to pay, if a person is undertaking an internship for more than 3 months.
   4. In partnership with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) lobby the CBI to implement the Interns Charter across all employers who recruit interns.
   5. For NUS to lobby for a crackdown from the HMRC and other government agencies on unpaid “internships” and other instances of National Minimum Wage legislation being broken.
   6. To work on the proposals for the development of a legal definition of an “internship” and how this may differ from existing work experience and volunteer legislation.
   7. To adopt The Arts Group’s stance that living wage should be awarded to Interns.
   8. To work progressively for more and higher quality work experience and placement opportunities across FE & HE Courses that meet the terms of the Arts Group’s recommendations.
   9.  To ask students’ unions to campaign for a distinction between paid and unpaid internships in University careers’ services.
   10.  To investigate the feasibility of total income (whether from loans, grants, bursaries or payment from employers) for students on placements during their courses to be at least equal to National Minimum Wage for the duration of hours they work.

We can look forward to working with the NUS to make sure that this policy generates tangible activity, despite a poor record from the organization of action on our previous calls for action against Hidden Course Costs, passed at last year’s conference (re-actioned on a wider scale by a motion this year). It’s likely that the best approach for impact on the Internships initially would be the introduction of the Skillset guidelines as a legislative measure, as (despite focussing on National Minimum Wage rather than living wage) they outline a fantastic and clearly thought out system of work-based learning opportunities as well as post-graduation Internships.

In response to their research showing that almost half (44%) of the Creative Media workforce said they had carried out unpaid work to get into the industry, Skillset have released exemplary guidelines for internships and other work-based learning. Involving the Arts Group throughout the consultation process, the sector skills council for Creative Media have broken the widespread ambiguity of many other groups and called for an acceptance of the role of general interns. Put together by Skillset in collaboration Creative & Cultural Skills and Arts Council England, the guidance aims to promote good practice and clarify the various entry routes into the creative industries.

“As the individual is performing as a ‘worker’ and is not in full-time education, employers must adhere fully to National Minimum Wage legislation throughout the duration of their placement.”

Skillset goes on to further elaborate on the broader range of work-based learning opportunities available, providing employers with a thorough opportunity to engage in both paid and unpaid routes with fairness and accessibility at the core. The guidelines place internships (broken down into “student” and “general” modes) within a broader context including Volunteering, Work Experience, Traineeships and Apprenticeships, providing a fantastic model for examining the future of work based learning and vocational education.

The guidelines include recommendations on:

• Limiting work experience placements to no more than 160 hours and reimbursing expenses;
• Paying at least the National Minimum Wage for anyone on a graduate internship;
• Limiting the working week of trainees and interns to 40 hours.

Whilst differing in some minor aspects from the recommendations of the Arts Group’s own Emerging Workers Report – the Skillset approach represents by far the best offer from any organization outside the Student Movement, and if implemented would make a huge difference to thousands of young people and those entering the creative industries for the first time.

“Getting a job in the creative industries should be about talent and potential. Yet this can prove challenging, given the sheer numbers who want a job and how informal entry often is.

“We understand that the recession and its impact mean that this is a challenging time for the industry. But by addressing this issue now we are seeking to make sure that the best and brightest talent is given fair access – and securing that talent is one of the best ways that we can ensure our future.”

~GMTV Chairman and Skillset chair Clive Jones

“We hope these guidelines will lay solid foundations for employers, setting out responsibilities in a clear and accessible way.”

~Skillset chief executive Dinah Caine

Click here for the pdf of the guidelines

Arts Group Chair, Kit Friend, appeared on the BBC last weekend to defend the rights of interns to proper pay and treatment, highlighting specifically the issues with equality and diversity that the current lack of enforcement encourages.

To see the Arts Group’s recommendations on internships read the Emerging Workers Report here

In response to growing concerns over graduate employment (or lack thereof) David Lammy championed Internships and volunteering as access routes into jobs in a release from DBIS this morning just after midnight.

‘Of course students may be concerned, which is why we are working hard to show that real opportunities are available to them including work, further study, volunteering and Internships. Internships are great way for graduates to kick start their careers by gaining the valuable skills and work experience at a time when they face a more competitive job market.’

Yes David, ‘a great way’ for those who can afford to be exploited by organizations violating the National Minimum Wage. Thanks a bunch. Welcome to the only government who simultaneously claims to champion social mobility whilst also using unpaid work as a strategy for streaming graduates for recruitment.

More than 200 new arts jobs across London & Essex have been given the green light thanks to NDotM (New Deal of the Mind).

Working in partnership with a range of arts and cultural organisations including the British Library, Young Vic, Lyric Hammersmith, Notting Hill Mas and the Royal Court Theatre, NDotM successfully bid for funding through the government’s Future Jobs Fund which is aimed at helping find placements for young people who’ve been unemployed for six months or more.

167 people will be recruited through local Job Centres for the jobs in London. Meanwhile, 56 jobs have been created in association with Essex-based Theatre Resource which is one of the biggest disabled-led arts organisation in the UK.

Along with other placements announced previously, this latest announcement means that NDotM has helped identify and secure funding for over 300 jobs in the arts & creative sectors since its launch last March. That’s more jobs than days NDotM has been in existence.

Martin Bright, NDotM’s founder and Chief Executive said, “This is a great start to 2010 and means that 200 young people will be starting work in theatres, libraries, design studios and arts organisations who would otherwise have been stuck on the dole , their creative potential wasted.”

The people who’ll fill the first 30 FJF funded placements at London’s Southbank Centre are expected to begin work in early March.

www.newdealofthemind.com

The Arts Group is calling for legislation governing the practice of work experience, internships and placements. In its “Emerging Workers” document the Arts Group puts forward the case that Government action is needed in order to protect students and graduates in the arts and creative industries.

Many arts organisations and businesses are reliant upon unpaid workers, both on work experience and on longer term placements. Whilst the Arts Group recognises that some of these organisations are run on low budgets, it is not in the interest of diversity, equality or creativity for internships to remain as the preserve of the well off.

Kit Friend, Chair of the Arts Group commented “Access to the creative professions should be based on ability, not means. As the labour market is near saturated with those financially able to take up unpaid placements, equal access to the creative professions will not be realised unless internships are regulated by government.”

The Arts Group recognises that the creative sector is made up of a large number of small and medium enterprises, and calls for funding and bursaries to be made available to employers so that they are able to continue to offer internships that are genuine training and development opportunities.

>> A pdf of the report can be downloaded by clicking here

Arts Group Chair, Kit Friend, met with representatives from the Arts Council England, Skillset, Creative & Cultural Skills (CCS) and Skillfast-uk, to discuss progress in the area of graduate internships. With our “Emerging Workers” paper due to launch soon, outlining our proposed direction in this area. We were grateful for the warm reception from these bodies, and look forward to a productive relationship ensuring the broadest possible benefit to those beginning their careers in the Creative Industries, free from exploitation and with an appropriate value attributed to their labour.

Click here to visit http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Payinterns/ and sign up to stop the exploitation of unpaid interns in the UK

As part of the Arts Group’s work on Emerging Workers, Arts Group’s Chair, Kit Friend, attended the consultation regarding Parliamentary Internships yesterday, and encouraged the initiative to consider the measures recommended as national legislation in the upcoming “Emerging Workers” report to be published soon. These include a 4 week/160 hour limit on unpaid work, and living wage for all interns up to 3 months, whereby they should move to being made regular employees and subject to the same rules and protection.

Phil Willis’ website with continued updates on the Parliamentary Internship enquiry is at www.philwillis.org.uk

More fantastic documentation on the generally shocking state of Internships in this country is at Interns Anonymous

It’s gratifying to see extensive coverage at the end of this week, from the Guardian amongst others, concerning the dawning awareness that huge numbers of skilled graduates are being effectively forced into a tier of unpaid work masquerading under the guise of “internships”. Those named and shamed include our own MPs with their interns, and many of the sectors that Arts students will emerge into – those deemed to be most attractive and competitive including journalism and media. The reality is that this problem existed even before the recession, and the creative industries have been allowed to build a reliance on this exploited workforce for far too long. If this push is what’s needed to achieve change it’s welcome, but a longer term culture shift that deals with more than the symptoms brought on the by recession is needed. If the Arts, and indeed the Government, are ever going to be an inclusive and accessible sector, those emerging into work must be paid fairly for their skilled labour. That many are not even receiving National Minimum Wage after years of education and professional development is astonishing, and we should not be afraid to take a strong stance on how wrong this is.

The Arts Group’s Chair, Kit Friend, has been in talks with the Arts Council England and others, and discussions with the DCMS and LSE around the subject are expected soon. The Arts Group’s policy on Emerging Workers will be released here imminently following discussion at our last meeting.

Click here to google “Internships Exploitation” and browse the coverage

Arts Group Chair, Kit Friend, attended the HE Networking Meeting at the Arts Council England (ACE – www.artscouncil.org.uk) to discuss progress to be made around the issues of internships and graduate employment. The draft copy of our Emerging Workers Policy was discussed, and future developments look set to be in the pipeline soon – watch this space!