Sadly - quite normal, as on the job experience is virtually impossible nowadays and from BTec Level 3 upwards, work, not just work experience is the only way to get some components evidence.
The good news is that if you elect to take someone, the university (who could be doing college study too to get weak people unskilled ready for a more advanced course) will do much of the paperwork and advise you on everything. Unpaid internships in my experience stink! If you don't pay them, or pay them a pittance compared to others on staff or freelance, they get a HUGE chip on their shoulder and are more of a liability than an asset, as you just n' really on them and they are passengers - NOT - what interns should be. Let's assume you get a really good one, and you pay them at least the going rate for the actual work they do. Do YOU have the time and resources to look after them. If you sit at your desk, photoshop or similar in front of you with a genuine job, let's say it will take two hours, and this is what you have budgeted for. Sit there with an intern and talk through every decision you make, every process, explain every bit of that pile of nested gizmos you have carefully, but efficiently placed - and that two hours becomes a days work. You cannot charge the client, but you spent a day on a two hour project. This could mean profitable turns to very unprofitable. You might also need to allow them to run with a project and then, if they cock up, repair it so the client doesn't know. The intern will cost you money, but if you need somebody at the end of the intern period - this person could be really useful - they know you and your ways. However, many interns have no intention of staying with the firm they intern with - it's just a means to an end, so what benefit is the intern to you? They are NOT employees. They have no responsibility. They don't have the work ethic, and often they will let you down. I used to simply believe they were over and above usual staff compliment, but then I began to realise that they actually cost you. Worse - not all your staff will have the patience and the communication skills to train people properly. Look at yourself and your people. How many are natural teachers? Remember the old days in factories with real apprentice schemes? The foremen did the training, the testing and the assessment as part of their job. Can you do this? Back in the 90s they introduced assessor's awards - the D32,33 and 34 qualifications that people had to do to assess, or assess the assessor, or assess the assessor of the assessor. It created whole tracts of people in education who didn't have time to teach, but assessed people. A university needs you to do certain things. Mainly things on a list. Then you have to use criteria they provide to see how well they did it. Some courses will have visiting assessors who will come in and do this for you, others want you to do it. Nice to take interns on if you are interested in education. A nightmare if you are not. However - just ask the university to come in to your office and explain the system. It will appeal or not. That's it!
