Internships have long been a way for people to get a foothold into an industry in that they want to gain employment. Once they become an intern, they are often trusted with jobs such as making calls, sorting paperwork, or doing basic clerical work.

Although there are certainly unpaid internships, if an employee’s work directly benefits the employee, then under the FSLA (Fair Labor Standards Act), they are supposed to be paid. Of course, the discussion of being unpaid versus being a paid intern is just one of the topics that people can discuss during National Intern Day, a holiday that’s observed annually on July 27th.

The History Of National Intern Day

National Intern Day was created by Way Up in 2017. It was created as an opportunity for employers to commemorate and give thanks to the interns that work for them.

Since entry-level employees often face challenges when they first enter the workforce, this is a day that can be used to help address some of the problems and inequalities that interns might face in the industry in which they’re employed.

Observing National Intern Day

On this day, employers can honor the interns that are currently working for them or the employees that started out as employees but have now obtained full employment with the company.

It’s also a day to develop better policies for the hiring and employment of internships, and to incorporate the ideas that interns bring to the company into the company.

Other ways to observe this holiday are to hold a virtual lunch, host a seminar or symposium on the topic of interns, or to spread the word about this holiday online using the hashtag #NationalInternDay on social media. This is a holiday to honor interns and their contributions to corporate cultures. For years, interns have been forgotten employees, but that has changed thanks to this holiday.