A good internship should offer real work experience and create value for both sides

According to Statistics Estonia, the overall unemployment rate stood at 6.6% in the second quarter of this year, compared with 22.4% among 15–24-year-olds. This is a paradox: despite the AI revolution, the need for employees has not disappeared. Internships and first work experiences should therefore be seen as a way for companies to develop their future workforce, rather than as an act of goodwill or a branding exercise.

Young people are not simply looking for a line on their CV or a box to tick to meet a graduation requirement. They want real responsibility and real tasks – and the chance to feel that their contribution matters.

Involving young people is not just a strategic investment in future talent; it can also bring immediate benefits. If an organisation knows how to guide interns and young people entering the labour market, giving them challenging projects that address real business needs and create value, both sides benefit. Young people often bring exactly the energy, willingness to ask questions and fresh perspective that organisations need in a rapidly changing environment.

An internship should not be treated as a formality required for graduation. It should be a chance to try out a field, get a feel for working life and understand whether the chosen path genuinely suits them. When young people are given responsibility, along with room to ask questions, make mistakes and learn, both they and the employer quickly gain a clearer sense of what they are capable of.

Young people should not remain passive either. Enthusiasm, initiative and the courage to ask for an opportunity are crucial, even without previous internship experience. A first real work experience can also reveal that the field they are studying is not right for them, or that they would rather apply what they are learning in a different way. That, too, is valuable insight before making bigger career decisions.

Schools can do more to encourage young people to gain work experience

Nor should we leave all the responsibility to employers – schools have a role to play too. We need to ask whether we are giving young people enough confidence and helping them understand just how competitive the labour market is. To succeed, everyone needs to find something that helps them stand out.

Schools should also take a more structured approach to helping young people build contacts in their chosen field. We should pay more attention to those who may lack the confidence to network or seek out opportunities on their own, and offer them advice and support. We should not end the first lectures of the semester by simply saying: “And to graduate, you must complete a mandatory internship.”

Yes, an internship is often a compulsory part of a study programme. But we can talk about it in a way that motivates young people to look for an internship and approach it with genuine interest in their chosen field.

Human skills become even more valuable in the age of AI

The labour market places a lot of emphasis on technical skills, but the importance of building a professional network is often underestimated. Connections, collaboration and the ability to communicate with different people are central to working life. A young person who learns early on to ask questions, listen, accept feedback and express their ideas clearly builds a strong foundation for any field.

AI makes these skills even more important. Many of the simpler tasks that have traditionally helped young people enter the workforce are precisely the ones that technology is increasingly able to support or automate. Young people therefore need to be given meaningful work sooner and taught how to use technology effectively, while encouraging their curiosity and willingness to experiment with new solutions.

Value young people’s contribution and willingness to learn

If an intern creates value for an organisation, they should be paid fairly. An unpaid internship can send the message that a young person’s work is worth less simply because they are still learning. In reality, every good organisation learns just as much from an intern as the intern learns from the organisation.

It makes sense for young people to start thinking as early as autumn about what kind of internship they would like, what skills they want to develop and which organisations they might approach. Employers, meanwhile, should ask whether their doors are genuinely open to young people, whether their internships involve projects that are actually useful, or whether those doors are only open in theory.

If we want a strong and sustainable labour market in the future, we need to involve young people now and give them the opportunity to gain the experience they need. If we do not want to face a shortage of young professionals in the future, employers and educational institutions must take a greater role in passing practical skills on to the next generation. We must also remember that unlocking young people’s potential requires trust, guidance, real tasks and employers who are willing to see someone who is still learning as a potential future colleague rather than temporary help.