Frances Perraudin highlights the Sutton Trust’s research in a Guardian report on business backing for fairer internships.

A group of leading businesses – including accountancy giants PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG – has called for the government to introduce a four-week limit to unpaid internships.

The businesses, which were brought together by campaign group Intern Aware, argue that long-term unpaid internships are bad for social mobility and bad for business. They say a four-week limit would provide employers with greater legal clarity as existing employment law makes no mention of internships.

Intern Aware, which campaigns for fair internships, is seeking to influence the outcome of the ongoing government review of employment law, which was established by business secretary Vince Cable in October 2014, and to put pressure on political parties to address the issue of unpaid internships in their manifestos.

The call comes after reports from the Sutton Trust, the London assembly economic committee, and the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission all suggested that a four-week limit would provide a solution to the negative effects on social mobility of long-term unpaid internships.

Read her full report here.  See coverage from City AM here.

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