The National Development Council’s Youth Council debated Thursday about internships for young people entering the labor market.

The meeting, held at the Belvedere, was chaired by Advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland and also Head of the Youth Council, Lukasz Rzepecki. In addition to members of the Council, the meeting was attended by Bogna Janke – Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, as well as Blazej Spychalski and Marcin Drewa – Advisors to the President of the Republic of Poland.

The session heard a speech by participation expert at the Institute for the Development of Legal Education and Civil Society, Piotr Drzewiecki, who presented in general terms the issue of internships for young people entering the labor market. The speaker presented the current situation, as well as discussed possible and expected directions of change. He also presented the negative phenomenon of reverse payment, sometimes occurring in the labor market, when a student has to pay for the opportunity to complete an internship.

In the individual speeches of the Council members, special attention was paid to new solutions for internships, including the development of good practices, as well as possible changes in legislation that would improve conditions in the discussed area. Also emphasized were the benefits of properly organized and properly conducted internships for both their young participants and employers.

After the Council meeting, Lukasz Rzepecki drew attention to the need to look at the quality of unpaid internships and apprenticeships.

– Young people perceive that there is a low quality of internships offered, and that there is a problem with the reverse payment mechanism, when interns have to pay for their internship. In our opinion, this needs to be changed,” he said.

He stressed that relevant recommendations will be presented to the President.

Text: Office of the President of the Republic of Poland (https://www.prezydent.pl/aktualnosci/narodowa-rada-rozwoju/aktualnosci/rada-ds-mlodziezy-o-stazach-dla-mlodych,45467)

photo: Krzysztof Gumul / KPRP