Attracting younger workers with internships
Many unions worldwide have to cope with a decreasing number in members. Membership is ageing rapidly while in the meantime, unions struggle with the fact that younger workers are not easily convinced of the advantages of joining the union.
The De Unie trade union in the Netherlands is directly concerned with this issue. It’s not so much reaching out to new members, but also how to adapt current union services to meet the demands of the new generation workers.
De Unie therefore launched “De Internetvakbond” (Internet Trade Union) in 2006. This “web-based-only” trade union uses the many benefits of online technologies to reach out and communicate with members and potential members.
A side project to the Internet Trade Union is: http://www.3d-internship.com.
3D-Internship aims at attracting younger target groups, as well as the new generation workers. It’s a platform that offers young students mediation in their first steps towards the labour market.
The platform helps students get into contact with employers worldwide who then offer them internship positions.
With 3D-Internship, De Unie covers a wide range of companies, student mediators and universities worldwide, thanks to a partnership with the worldwide Global Placement Network.
3D-Internship not only attracts younger workers by offering them added-value services in the earliest stages of their careers, but it also helps create more internship positions for students, providing them with a cross-cultural experience during their education.
De Unie can also monitor the quality of the internship positions. The next planned stage is Quality Certification for internship positions and student mediators, in order to ensure the educational value and working conditions.
3D-Internship is an application De Unie recently opened up to all UNI affiliates, during the UNI Communicators Forum 2008, held in Cape Town last April.
Each UNI affiliate can apply for an internship website and get a customised tool to monitor students and internship positions all registered through affiliates’ websites once the system is in place.
Together we can make this network grow global! Please ask for more information and make 3D-Internship your union’s extra value-added service!
Contact Bart Willems:
Tel: +31652522075
Mail: wll-b@unie.nl of internetvakbond@unie.nl