To support the multitude of employers looking to students to help plug skills and workforce shortages this summer, the latest edition of Graduate Market Trends (GMT) is devoted to internships.

The summer edition of GMT, the Higher Education Careers Services Unit’s (HECSU) quarterly publication is now available on www.hecsu.ac.uk. It features the latest trends and analysis for 2010, with a special focus on how internships can benefit employers as well as best practice guidance.

Highlights of GMT Summer:

• Heather Collier, Director of the National Council for Work Experience (NCWE) explains how employers can benefit from providing graduate work experience
• The latest from the University of Central Lancashire on its ongoing graduate work experience study
• Barnados’ Pathways interns scheme is the basis of an investigation into third-sector internships
• International insight with Australian approaches to work integrated learning and good practice

Aphrodite Papadatou, editor of GMT says: “Internships have increasingly come under scrutiny as the recession has led to an increase in unpaid work placements and students feeling exploited. This edition of GMT is intended to support those employers taking on students this summer, providing practical guidance on the benefits and how to best implement a scheme.”

The hard copy version of GMT will be supported by additional articles available online. These include rounding off the Australian section with the Aussie Blueprint for Employability and the findings of Aston Business School’s survey of employers and the role of work placements in developing soft skills among management undergraduates.