• Crystalina Agyeman-Prempeh

“It has once again become clear that student well-being is at the bottom of the list of political priorities,” says JOBmbo president Mireille Ozoguzel. It is responding to a proposal to ban unpaid internships that was rejected by the House of Representatives yesterday.

Shortly ago, more than 25,000 signatures were delivered for a mandatory minimum training allowance by CNV Jongeren, the young employees’ union in the Netherlands. Earlier, outgoing Education Minister Robert Dijkgraaf also said every trainee should receive an appropriate training allowance.

More than that, training errors occur. Hundreds of young people shared their unpleasant experiences Nous stories. Like interns who only have to clean and make coffee or are discriminated against when looking for an internship.

“There was nothing to do after that, I just had to clean the toilets,” says 17-year-old Leckie. “You had to learn something.” She did not receive any compensation during her training period. “I had a part-time job, but that is no longer possible due to training.”

NOS Stories spoke to young people about their unpleasant experiences and found out why internship abuse continues to happen:

“Getting a part-time job if you have to do full-time training is not possible for many young people. Life costs a lot of money and it seems like things are finally starting to move and that has given the students hope. This has now turned into disappointment,” says Uzoguzel. Hope Again.” The youth organization has been working to combat the abuse of internships for some time.

Unfortunately, we still often see young people being hired as full-fledged employees without getting anything in return. Or training companies only use interns to do household chores like cleaning or getting lunch.” The youth organization has been working to combat the abuse of internships for some time.

“The fact that these types of situations are still happening may have something to do with the significant shortage in the job market. Apprentices could then be the answer for some companies and that’s not really the intent. If you want an employee, you have to pay. There are a lot of people who want “Work and they can’t find it.”

There are also concerns at CNV Youth. “It’s simply a very bad start in the labor market for young people,” says Chairman of the Board Kasper Cornelis. “It can go so far as to develop mental complaints or drop out of school. We really have to protect them from that.” The Youth Federation itself had previously established an internship abuse reporting center to gather expertise and support for students. They also advocate for the rights of young people by petitioning for a mandatory minimum training allowance.

“It is a shame that such a proposal was rejected in the House of Representatives. It is clear that the parties that voted against it consider the position of SMEs to be more important. The ability of young people to survive at a time when prices are rising should be the starting point. For us, stop This is not the case here, we will continue to speak out.

Although it has not been a fun time for Leke, she hopes the other trainees will do better. “I believe that everyone deserves a proper training allowance and should be treated fairly. In my opinion, that is not too much to ask for.”