Guest Blog: Internships, Inequalities, and Breaking Barriers Through Higher Education

In recent years, calls to end unpaid internships have become increasingly common. Professional organizations and students have become more vocal about the inequities perpetuated by this business practice, particularly in correlation with exponential increases in student loan debt, growing technology, and wealth gaps.

Further, pre-pandemic, there was already a sense that internships were essentially replacing entry-level jobs. And the exasperation of seeing entry-level positions that require 1 to 2 years of experience is well-documented. This has only been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, which left many students without internship options.

The problem is that internships and the need for practical experience isn’t going anywhere.