With news last week of exploitative internship programs at Bell, it’s a good time to review the rules at CBC to ensure that interns, employees and the CBC all benefit.

Most CBC internships are part of a recognized education program and provide interns exposure to the workplace and broadcasting; interns, meanwhile, often offer a fresh perspective and an opportunity for an employee or team to reflect on how they do their work. CBC interns must be assigned a mentor, who is an experienced CBC employee. The employee must provide daily guidance and feedback on the work of the intern, which enhances the learning experience. Internships must not be used to replace a paid employee or avoid filling a vacancy.

If you or your team is assigned an intern, the expectation is that you have time to properly mentor the person. If you have a heavy workload and are concerned this won’t be possible, talk to your supervisor or get in touch with the Guild. If you are aware of internships at CBC that do not meet these criteria, please get in touch with us.

At a conference co-sponsored by the Guild last October, panelists raised serious concerns about the growing use of internships in Canada and the likelihood that many programs are simply used to pay nothing for entry-level work. Guild members have an interest in working against this type of exploitative program.

For more information, get in touch with the Guild (info@cmg.ca) at 416-591-5333 or 1-800-465-4149.