Unpaid graduate internships should be "stamped out" to stop media employers abusing university leavers looking for a break into the industry, an expert has said.

A new code of practice has been drawn up to abolish work placements which offer little or no wage or financial reward, demanding instead that graduate placements should be fairly advertised and last a maximum of 160 days.

GMTV and Skillset chairman Clive Jones joined Arts Council England, Creative & Cultural Skills and Skillfast-UK to urge all media employers to adhere to the code. Mr Jones announced the collaboration at a Universities UK conference in London.

Broadcast Now reported he said: "An oversupply of graduates has ? resulted in a culture of low and unpaid internships, which must be stamped out."

Under UK law any worker must be paid at least the minimum wage, but debate over the "employee" status of non-contracted work experience students has led to widespread uptake of the practice.

The creative sector needs to instigate a recruitment push for university leavers rather than use internships to support staff, was the message from the British Interactive Media Association, Internet Advertising Bureau and Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, according to newmediaage.