Students are being invited to apply for virtual internships this summer after a reported fall in confidence among young people around job prospects amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Three-day internship experiences in areas such as technology, commercial law and investment banking will aim to help students gain skills and boost employability, the organisation launching the free virtual training said. 

Companies such as Google, Marks & Spencer, PwC and Vodafone will take part in what the Bright Network described as the UK’s largest virtual careers experience. 

A survey by the organisationin April suggested almost two-thirds of graduating students had job applications paused or withdrawn due to the pandemic and the number of would-be graduates confident of securing a job had dropped to around a third. 

It said the scheme had been set up as a practical response to concerns from educational institutions, university career services and businesses about the fallout from the coronavirus crisis. 

While the internships have been designed with students and graduates looking to enter the job market in mind, they are open to anyone in the UK aged 18 and over and will run from the end of June. 

James Uffindell, the founder of the Bright Network, which aims to connect young people from all backgrounds with the world’s leading employers, said: “On the road to economic recovery, we need to make sure that the next generation has all the skills, connections and support it can get in identifying opportunities and making the most of them. 

“Internship Experience UK is a truly national coalition effort to do something practical and accessible to address this urgent need. 

“As workplaces across the country have adapted to remote working, we hope that students and graduates will take advantage of this free virtual internship experience on offer – whatever their background. 

“This experience opens up access to the world’s best employers to students from all walks of life. There is no limit to the number of people who can benefit from this unique initiative and we welcome everyone to participate.” 

Those interested can visit the Bright Network website.