Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 January 2013
450. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending the JobBridge scheme to other institutions in the public service, such as Met Éireann, to enable people with the relevant qualifications to get work experience; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58180/12]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, provides internship opportunities of either 6 or 9 months for unemployed individuals in organisations in the private, public and community voluntary sectors and at present is limited to individuals who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments (Jobseekers Allowance/Jobseekers Benefit/One Parent Family Payment/Disability Allowance) or are signing on for credits for at least 3 of the last 6 months (78 Days).
The JobBridge Scheme has made significant progress to-date since it came into operation on the 1st July 2011. 13,232 internships had commenced by 27th December, 2012, with 5,612 participants on an internship and 2,083 opportunities advertised on www.JobBridge.ie on that date. By that date, 2,911 placements had been made with Public Sector bodies, representing 22% of the total number of placements, reflecting a significant commitment by the Public Sector to JobBridge.
If they otherwise comply with the requirements of the Scheme, no Public Sector body is excluded from participating as a host organisation in JobBridge. However, their participation is a matter for those bodies themselves.
The interim evaluation of JobBridge by Indecon International Economic Consultants (published on 5th October, 2012) states that 52.3% of JobBridge finishers progressed into employment with either their host organisation or another employer since finishing their internship. These progression rates compare favourably with European averages in this area. Given that, in the past, some labour market programmes have been seen as having insignificant or even negative impacts on employment probabilities, this suggests JobBridge is an appropriate labour market intervention.
Further information on outcomes will be ascertained as a result of the ongoing formal evaluation of JobBridge. It is anticipated that the final Report will be available in the coming weeks. This evaluation will assess the design, delivery and impact of the JobBridge Scheme, it will provide details of the nature of the work experience of the participants; a measurement of the relevance of that experience to the labour market, analysis of age categories and further findings concerning progression into employment. It will also present recommendations on how the Scheme might be improved. It is at this stage that further consideration will be given to amending the terms and conditions of the Scheme. Any such amendments to the scheme will be notified via the website.
