Internships are a part of the curriculum for many courses at polytechnics and universities, where students can apply to firms that have partnerships with their schools. But some also seek internships on their own to earn work experience over school holidays, or after graduation. The latter group – which employers who TODAY spoke to said is a growing group – is especially vulnerable to workplace abuse, as they do not have the option of seeking help from schools, which can intervene and even arrange for students to be transferred to another employer if an internship goes sour. Schools TODAY spoke to said that they carefully evaluate the employers they work with for internship programmes. “We work closely with recruiting partners on the development of internship programmes to ensure that our students have an enriching learning experience,” said Ms Corrine Ong, Director of the NUS Career Centre. SMU Dean of Students Associate Professor Ong Siow Heng said: “SMU expects employers to set a high standard so that students can learn industry norms and expectations.” Students are given an Internship Guide with the contact numbers and email addresses of SMU’s career counsellors, whom they can turn to for advice.