Minister Bruins: “Every student deserves a good internship placement, with professional guidance and an appropriate internship allowance. I have made agreements with the business community, education, and students in the MBO Internship Pact. I see that steps are being taken, but it can and must be better. We need all workers in this society very much. An appropriate internship allowance is the responsibility of the social partners, so I call on them once again to make agreements about this in their collective agreements and to actually provide a suitable internship allowance to their interns. If the positively initiated trend of more agreements about internship allowances and actually given internship allowances stagnates, I will consider in 2027 whether this needs to be legally established.”
Increasing internship allowances and agreements in collective agreements
Agreements in collective agreements about internship allowances can promote the actual provision of internship allowances. In 2024, more agreements have been made regarding this. For instance, in the largest collective agreement in the hospitality sector, agreements were made last year about a minimum internship allowance. Almost 17% of collective agreements now include agreements about an internship allowance. That was 10% in 2023. This mainly concerns the large collective agreements. More than 48% of workers work in the sectors where agreements have already been made.
Additionally, in 2024, an amount for internship allowances was mentioned almost twice as often (81 times) as in 2023 (48 times) in the 607 surveyed collective agreements. The amounts vary between €150 and €750, with €400 being the most common, just like in 2023. In 2024, almost four times as many collective agreements (39 compared to 11 in 2023) have been made to equalize the amounts for all students, regardless of educational level. 42% of MBO students received an internship allowance on the reference date in March 2024. A year earlier, this was 40.5%.
In higher professional education (HBO), approximately 75% receive an internship allowance. In university education (WO), this is 65% of students who completed a mandatory internship and 91% for students who completed an optional internship. The CBS figures have not yet included the new agreements in collective agreements from 2024. We see a trend: this is expected to lead to higher actual internship allowances in the next CBS figures.
The number of agreements regarding expense allowances has slightly increased but remains very low (8%). An expense allowance is different from an internship allowance and concerns the costs that a student must incur to be able to complete an internship, such as travel expenses and a VOG. It has been agreed in the MBO Internship Pact that these expenses should be reimbursed.
Investigation into legally mandated internship allowances
Minister Bruins has, following a motion from the House of Representatives, had an investigation conducted into how a minimum internship allowance can be legally anchored. Based on the research, no conclusive conclusions can be drawn. The research shows, for example, that it is difficult to determine whether the financial position, motivation, and school results of interns improve due to an internship allowance. Implementing a mandatory internship allowance could also lead to fewer internship placements, especially at small businesses, freelancers, and companies in sectors where few internship allowances are currently given.
Implementing a mandatory internship allowance in other European countries shows mixed results. While in Germany the number of internship placements decreased after the introduction of a minimum internship allowance, it increased in France. Various methods have been explored to achieve an appropriate internship allowance. Internships fall under education legislation because they are part of the education.
However, education legislation is focused on educational institutions, while the internship placement relates to the amount of an internship allowance. Labor legislation does not apply because interns do not have an employment contract but an internship contract. This also brings complications for supervision and enforcement by the Education Inspectorate and the Dutch Labor Inspectorate.
Agreements on internships in further education
In 2023, agreements were made in the MBO Internship Pact with representatives from the business community, education, students, and the government who are committed to good internships. It has been agreed that every student should receive an appropriate allowance, which at a minimum consists of an expense allowance. Additionally, employers and employees make agreements in collective agreements about internship allowances. These agreements must be the same for MBO, HBO, and WO students. I hold these parties accountable for their responsibilities.
In HBO and WO, many parties, such as educational institutions and youth organizations, are taking action to improve internships. For example, VH and VNO-NCW are working together to make agreements about this, and in the Manifest to combat internship discrimination, agreements have already been made to combat internship discrimination. Employers and students can also use example internship contracts from example internship contracts from UNL and example internship contracts from student organizations ISO and CNV Jongeren.