New research has suggested that many vocational schools are acting as employment agencies for their students by arranging internships before they graduate. [Photo: China Youth Daily]

New research has suggested that many vocational schools are acting as employment agencies for their students by arranging internships before they graduate.

According to a survey of just over 2000 people, carried out by China Youth Daily, 56.7 percent said some vocational schools arranged for their students to work in factories as interns, but in reality they were fulfilling staff vacancies.

55.6 percent of the respondents believed these so-called internships meant students were being used as cheap labor, with a bad effect on their careers and even health.

They cited long-hours working on a production line threatening their health, and meager wages dampening their enthusiasm.

61 percent of the participants in the survey also said they believed such internships violated the students' legal rights and interests, while 54.3 percent of them believed the students didn't gain anything useful from the arrangement.

Asked about the reasons for the phenomenon, 63.8 percent of the participants believed both the schools and the enterprises they cooperate with, have serious profit-first mentality. 52 percent of them suggested there should be greater regulation, standardizing student internships.

To solve the problem, some experts have suggested the quality of the internships should be improved, and stricter rules and regulations should be established as a top priority.

They have also called on firms providing internships for students to play a more active role in students' vocational education.