Internships and training – where does their popularity come from?

Sometimes there is a dozen or so applicants for one place for an internship or training. Some people talk about … the phenomenon of these forms of activation of the unemployed.

Internships and trainings are currently the most popular forms of active support for the unemployed. The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy informed that in 2014 over 275,000 unemployed applied for internships and trainings to raise the qualifications of the unemployed.

See also: When can you be crossed out of the unemployed list

Although it is the directors of poviat labor offices who decide how much to allocate to internships and training, and which to other forms of combating unemployment, they are widely available in almost all poviat labor offices.

Who can apply for a placement referral?

The offer applies to the unemployed who are in a particularly difficult situation on the labor market. In practice, this means that the proposal is aimed at people up to 30 years of age, as well as the long-term unemployed and women who return to the labor market after having a child. The unemployed over 50 and those seeking employment after leaving prison also have a chance for an internship.

As a rule, the internship lasts six months, but may be extended to one year for people aged 25 and under. Persons participating in internships can count on a scholarship in the amount of 120 percent of the amount of unemployment benefit. It is about PLN 900.

Who is the training for?

Training, at least theoretically, is available to all unemployed people. Additionally, the trainings may be attended by people who are under the notice period – if the cause is on the side of the company. They can also be used by people working in enterprises in bankruptcy. Training is available for all unemployed registered in the employment office. Only in 2014, over 70,000 unemployed people across the country benefited from this type of support. Financial support is also provided for people undergoing training – they are entitled to a training allowance or a scholarship, and in some cases may also count on covering the costs of travel or accommodation in the place of training.

How do I get into an internship?

First of all, it should be borne in mind that the PUP will refer the unemployed to an internship when he has money in the budget for it. This means that it is often easier to find an internship in the first half of the year than at the end of the year, when offices are already waiting for the next subsidies from the budget. It is also best to find an employer yourself who would like to hire an unemployed person for an internship. There may be no point in relying on office in this regard.

See also: Voucher for settlement of an unemployed person – when you are far from work, you can get almost 8,000. PLN

The situation is different when an unemployed person wants to find an internship in public and local government administration. In this case, PUPs are invaluable in organizing internships. However, it should be borne in mind that even an intern who is perfect at work will not automatically receive a job offer. Work in offices is subject to a competition procedure. However, many office directors claim that a trainee who has proven successful in the office’s work and who will take part in the competition can count on success in the recruitment process immediately.

This is just a phenomenon

Why are internships and trainings so popular among the unemployed and why are employment offices so eager to use this support instrument? The internship enables the unemployed to acquire knowledge, experience and skills in a real work environment. This is a special value, for example, for general secondary school graduates who, for the most part, do not have anything to enter into their professional CV, apart from secondary education. The lack of specific skills is the biggest obstacle in finding employment, and thanks to internships and training, they can acquire such skills.

PUPs, on the other hand, “like” internships, because thanks to them they can significantly improve their effectiveness and show statistics. It is not a cheap support instrument, but it is highly effective. More than 50% effectiveness, calculated as the percentage of people who, after completing the internship, receive job offers for at least a year, is already a good indicator. However, there are offices that can boast an effectiveness of more than 70 percent.

No free labor

Intermediaries try to eliminate from internship programs companies that employ interns and treat them as free labor. Sometimes this led to certain pathologies, as some employers offered employment to interns after the internship – but these were so-called “rubbish” or part-time work. As a result, the offices removed the trainee from the register of unemployed people, but he earned so little that he had to look for a job anyway – this time without the agency’s agency. However, sometimes the unemployed person has no option: if he does not accept the internship or terminates it through his own fault, he may lose his unemployment status.

See also: What to do when the boss changes our working or pay conditions without our knowledge?

Unemployed trainee

During the internship you are still unemployed, so the intern is covered by all insurance. However, he is entitled to holiday and for every 30 calendar days worked he is entitled to two days’ holiday.