Sports Science Graduate Internship Guidelines launched to protect industry’s professionals

Interns Australia has estimated that 87 per cent of advertised internships are unpaid, and 60 per cent are illegal. In response to this, and the long list of qualified sports science professionals not being rightfully or appropriately paid for their work, Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) is proud to launch its Sports Science Graduate Internship Guidelines to aid both the intern and the employer.

“We have seen significant changes over the years in terms of ensuring regulation of our sports science and high performance professionals, however, we need to continue to protect and support these professionals as they undertake internships or work experience – an essential requirement for their careers,” says Anita Hobson-Powell, ESSA Chief Executive Officer.

After extensive industry consultation, many key individuals have provided input into the document, including a working group formed from the ESSA Sports Science Advisory Group and a range of sporting institutes.

“It was important for ESSA and our stakeholders that internship guidelines were developed for graduates, however, these are not ESSA’s rules that we can enforce – we have developed these guidelines to assist in understanding the law.”

The Sports Science Graduate Internship Guidelines will provide the following:
• Recommendations for the provision of quality graduate internships; and
• A guide to establishing an intern’s employment status and rights.

The main aim of these guidelines is to aid both the graduate and the organisation in determining whether an internship experience will be mutually beneficial. The guidelines apply to graduates, not university placements, and should be read in conjunction with Fair Work Australia's information regarding internships, to ensure the arrangement is lawful under the Fair Work Act 2009.

“The Internship Guidelines are concise and visual for the time-poor practitioner and includes a range of FAQs as well as details on recruitment, selection and administration policies for interns.”

To access the ESSA Sports Science Graduate Internship Guidelines, click here to visit the ESSA website.