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Learning to labour: An evaluation of internships and employability in the ICT sector

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Abigail Marks

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Abstract

© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.The employability of graduates is often reduced to lists of de-contextualised skills that graduates may or may not have and which may or may not translate to prized graduate positions. Recently, internships have become the way in which graduates acquire and demonstrate work-readiness to potential employers. This article examines a particular type of internship in the ICT sector, namely placements incorporated in degree education. The findings suggest that while internships can enhance employability and indeed be a mechanism for accessing permanent jobs, more often, instead of 'learning to labour', interns are expected to be productive workers. A mini labour market operates at the undergraduate level that advantages those already possessed of the required soft skills. The emphasis on soft skills signals a shift in the nature of ICT work with attendant implications for education of workers in this sector, revealed by anchoring employability to particular labour process(es).

Publication metadata

Author(s): Chillas S, Marks A, Galloway L

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: New Technology, Work and Employment

Year: 2015

Volume: 30

Issue: 1

Pages: 1-15

Print publication date: 01/03/2015

Online publication date: 20/03/2015

Acceptance date: 02/04/2014

ISSN (print): 0268-1072

ISSN (electronic): 1468-005X

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12041

DOI: 10.1111/ntwe.12041

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