Internships are work-based learning experiences, but when they are unpaid and become the standard after formal education, they imply an opportunity cost and could add to the formation of obstacles to the socio-economic mobility that (public) education should seek to attenuate. The present study consists of an evaluation of the intern economy in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Based on data of over 900 available positions in the cultural industry, we examine the demand for internships by organisations and address issues such as substitution and efficacy in the intern economy. We discuss our findings in light of some proposed misconceptions regarding the education-based meritocracy, related to the diminishing role of educational credentials in hiring decisions, the changing role of education in socio-economic mobility, and the overlooked role of employers that prioritise the productive efficiency of their organisations over equal opportunities.

中文翻译：

---

文化产业中的实习经济：需求方的实证研究

实习是基于工作的学习经历，但是当实习无薪并成为正规教育之后的标准培训时，这意味着机会成本，并且可能增加社会（公共）教育应寻求削弱的社会经济流动性的障碍。本研究包括对比利时法语区的实习生经济的评估。根据文化行业900多个可用职位的数据，我们检查了组织对实习的需求，并解决了实习经济中的替代和效率等问题。我们根据对基于教育的精英管理的一些提议的误解来讨论我们的发现，这些误解与教育证书在聘用决策中的作用减弱，教育在社会经济流动中的作用变化，