Bill to regulate university internships at companies

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would make university external internships curricular only, meaning a course subject within the study plan, and would ban using them to replace paid job positions.
2. It would require the company to pay the intern at least the minimum wage, proportional to internship hours, plus transportation and meal costs, and to register the student with Social Security.
3. It would set hour and duration limits: a maximum of 5 hours a day or 25 a week during the teaching period, 500 total hours in undergraduate degrees, and a weekly rest of at least 48 hours. It would also cap the number of interns per company based on staff size.
4. It would create an 'intern student statute' with rights such as two tutors (one from the university, one from the company), time off for exams or student representation without losing pay, and ownership of the intellectual property of their work.
5. It would exclude from agreements companies convicted of crimes against workers, with final labor sanctions, that recently carried out collective layoffs, or that illegally seconded workers.
6. It would penalize companies and universities that break the rules, create an Intern Observatory, and require the Government to publish yearly statistics on internships. The bill would repeal the current royal decrees on internships.

Who it affects

• University students doing external internships: They would get a minimum wage, limited hours, tutors and Social Security coverage.
• Companies and entities hosting interns: They would have to pay at least the minimum wage, respect hour and slot limits, and could be excluded or fined for violations.
• Universities and their tutor professors: They would have to manage and supervise internships, with a maximum of 20 students per tutor and academic year.
• Recent graduates: They would no longer be able to do the non-work internships regulated by Royal Decree 1543/2011, which the bill would repeal.

Words worth knowing

Prácticas curriculares (curricular internships)

Internships that are part of the study plan and count as a course subject, with a grade on the transcript.

Convenio de Cooperación Educativa (educational cooperation agreement)

A document signed by the university and the company setting out the internship: tasks, schedule, pay and conditions.

Salario Mínimo Interprofesional (minimum wage)

The lowest wage that can legally be paid to any worker in Spain.

ECTS

Credits that measure the workload of a university course in the European system.

Jurisdicción social (social jurisdiction)

The courts that handle labor and Social Security disputes.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries