The Student Publication Association has formally voted to oppose unpaid internships, in a vote by the executive committee this week.

In a motion put forward by current chair Jem Collins the association has vowed to publicly oppose the practice and will not allow any promotion for such schemes.

Jem Collins, current chair, said: “Unpaid internships are an extremely emotive subject, but are ultimately exploitative, exclusionary, and in many cases illegal.

“We will continue to help our members get the best start possible in journalism by working with genuine work experience providers and those offering paid schemes.”

The association will shortly be releasing guidance for advertisers on how to comply with the new policy.

You can read the full motion online, or email Jem Collins (chair@spajournalism.com) for further details.