Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2013
522. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps open to graduates who apply for a graduate placement in the Civil Service to gain experience, only to be refused on the grounds of lack of experience. [16659/13]
View answerI understand that the Deputy's question relates to the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) programme. The WAM programme is a work placement programme which aims to promote access to the labour market for graduates with disabilities and build the capacity of employers to integrate disability into the mainstream workplace. For the past seven years, Government Departments and Offices in the Civil Service have been supportive of and participated in the WAM programme. WAM is a paid mentored work placement programme which is organised by AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability) and offers graduates with disabilities up to six months paid work.
There was considerable interest in the Civil Service WAM positions advertised earlier this year. 65 applications were received for 21 positions. Due to the level of interest, a competitive process, including shortlisting of candidates, was required.
The shortlisting process, which was difficult due to the overall high calibre of the candidates, was carried out against two criteria. The first was a qualification in the relevant area and the second was relevant work experience. In this competitive process, each application and position was considered on a case by case basis. Of the 65 applicants, 33 were shortlisted for interview by the Public Appointments Service.
