Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 January 2013
159. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of the statement by her appointee as chair of the steering group of the JobBridge programme (details supplied), when she will reconsider the decision not to provide a training budget for each participant on top of the basic allowance. [4067/13]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the JobBridge Scheme has made significant progress since it came into operation on the 1 July 2011. 13,960 internships have commenced to date with 5,563 participants currently on an internship as at 24 January 2013 and 1,888 internship opportunities advertised on www.jobbridge.ie as of that date. The interim results of the independent evaluation of JobBridge conducted by Indecon International Economic Consultants (published on www.welfare.ie on 5 October, 2012) shows that 61% of JobBridge finishers progressed into employment with either their host organisation or another employer within 5 months of finishing their internship. These progression rates compare very favourably with European averages in this area.
One of the most positive features of JobBridge is that it has attracted interns across a wide range of levels of qualification. Approximately 64% of interns are graduates, of whom 22 % hold a postgraduate qualification. Of the 36% of interns who are not graduates, almost 21% of those hold a post-Leaving Certificate qualification. The Deputy will appreciate that interns are a highly qualified addition to the workforce of host organisations and that the State has already made a significant investment in their training and education. The Deputy should not underestimate the immense contribution made by interns to their host organisations. As an internship scheme, JobBridge provides positive outcomes for the intern but also for the host organisation.
The following are some of the benefits accruing to host organisations from the addition of interns to their workforce: the opportunity to assess potential employees; the benefit of the intern’s labour, talents, skills and enthusiasm while working with the host organisation; enhancement of the performance of the host organisation by offering an internship to motivated individuals with enthusiasm and a passion for developing their careers; bringing in fresh talent, fresh ideas and new thinking; and access newly trained interns with recent skills sets or skilled workers that add real value to the host organisation. As part of the terms and conditions of JobBridge, host organisations are obliged by the Department to provide interns with quality work experience, substantial opportunities to enhance the intern’s skills and to appoint an individual member of staff as mentor to the intern for the duration of their internship.
Recent research indicates that over 90% of host organisations were satisfied with their internship experience and that 96% of host organisations would recommend JobBridge to other employers. A high proportion of interns also consider that the scheme improves their chances of gaining employment. In recent research, 89.3% of interns felt JobBridge had given them new skills. In light of the successes highlighted by the above, I do not feel that there is a compelling argument for the Department to provide a training budget for JobBridge host organisations. An independent evaluation of the Scheme is currently being finalised by Indecon International Economic Consultants. It is anticipated that a final report will be published in the coming weeks. As part of its remit, Indecon has been asked to include recommendations on how the Scheme might be improved or expanded. I will consider any such recommendations carefully.
