Needing experience for a job yet a job for experience: evaluating a government STEM internship programme

Abstract

They can't land a job without experience but won't gain any experience without a job. This is the devastating realisation of many science graduates who venture into the labour market. The Department of Science and Innovation's National Youth Service (NYS) programme attempts to bridge this divide by providing workplace experience to people with tertiary qualifications in science, technology and engineering. The HSRC evaluates this programme annually and recently published a 10-year commemorative NYS report. Andrea Juan spoke to the Review.