Studenti Graffitti, the student wing of Moviment Graffitti, is concerned about unpaid internships being offered in KSU’s ongoing Careers Expo. We have been monitoring the situation and have long suspected that companies are offering unpaid internships to students seeking work opportunities outside of university hours. Studenti Graffitti can now confirm that at least three of the enterprises involved in KSU’s 2023 Careers Expo are offering unpaid internship opportunities.
Studenti Graffitti does not exclude that there are more than these three cases, whilst maintaining that all students who work as interns should always be paid a living wage. It is completely unfair and inhumane that students take up unpaid internships in exchange for their hard work to gain experience in their field of study. We insist that KSU, as the student council, take action and stand for paid internships for all students, at every company taking part in the Careers Expo. We also demand that KSU vets each company, and refuses entry to those that do not pay their interns.
Furthermore, KSU has been promoting private companies as part of its campaign for the Careers Expo. Studenti Graffitti cannot understand how a public entity is promoting and investing its resources in a private enterprise that does not directly benefit students, nor is a sponsor of the student body. Studenti Graffitti reiterates its call for KSU to reconsider its economic model of sustainability, moving away from private sponsorship to public funding by either governmental investment or through direct student funding.
L-istudenti mhux qegħdin hemm għax-xogħol bl-irħis
Studenti Graffitti, il-fergħa studenteska tal-Moviment Graffitti, tinsab imħassba dwar l-apprendistati bla ħlas li qed jiġu offruti fil-Careers Expo tal-KSU li hemm għaddejja bħalissa. Ilna nissorveljaw is-sitwazzjoni u nissuspettaw li l-kumpaniji qed joffru apprendistati bla ħlas lil studenti li qed ifittxu opportunitajiet ta’ xogħol barra l-ħinijiet tal-università. Studenti Graffitti issa tista’ tikkonferma li mill-inqas tliet intrapriżi involuti fil-Careers Expo 2023 tal-KSU qed joffru opportunitajiet ta’ apprendistati bla ħlas.
Studenti Graffitti ma teskludix li hemm aktar minn dawn it-tliet każijiet, filwaqt li ssostni li l-istudenti kollha li jaħdmu bħala interns għandhom dejjem jitħallsu paga li biha tista’ tgħix. Huwa kompletament inġust u inuman li l-istudenti jieħdu apprendistati biex jiksbu l-esperjenza fil-qasam ta’ studju tagħhom mingħajr ma jitħallsu għax-xogħol iebes li jagħmlu. Ninsistu li l-KSU, bħala kunsill tal-istudenti, jieħu azzjoni u jsemma’ leħnu biex kull student jitħallas għall-apprendistati offruti mill-kumpaniji kollha li qed jieħdu sehem fil-Careers Expo. Nitolbu wkoll li l-KSU jikkundanna kull kumpanija li tirrifjuta l-ħlas lill-interns tagħha.
Barra minn hekk, il-KSU ilu jippromwovi kumpaniji privati bħala parti mill-kampanja tiegħu għall-Careers Expo. Studenti Graffitti ma tistax tifhem kif entità pubblika qed tippromwovi u tinvesti r-riżorsi tagħha f’intrapriża privata li ma tibbenefikax direttament lill-istudenti, u lanqas mhi sponsor tal-korp studentesk. Studenti Graffitti ttenni t-talba tagħha biex il-KSU jerġa’ jikkunsidra l-mudell ekonomiku tiegħu ta’ sostenibbiltà, billi jitbiegħed minn sponsorships privati u jikkunsidra dawk pubbliċi, jew permezz ta’ investiment governattiv jew inkella ta’ finanzjament dirett tal-istudenti.
