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9 Nov 2009 : Column 176W—continued

Work Experience

Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's definition is of a skilled internship; how many skilled internships his Department plans to create by (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014 and (f) 2015; how long each skilled internship will last; and whether people on a skilled internship will be paid. [298942]

Mr. Lammy: By March 2010, 20,000 graduate internships overall will have been created in the private, public and third sectors to help young people develop the skills they need to improve their employability. There will be different models for these internships. Of these, up to 10,000 will be delivered in collaboration with the Federation of Small Businesses as part of Backing Young Britain. These will last for 13 weeks and will be paid. There are no targets for the following years.

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