I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 105 together.
I have included in this reply a table representing the number of internships finished in each year since JobBridge came into operation. The data provided in the Table below indicate that 52% of internships are completed early and 48% are completed in full. I am encouraged by the findings of the independent evaluation of the scheme, carried out by Indecon, which found that 63% of early finishers immediately progressed into employment on completion of their internship.
Overall, 58% of those progressing into paid employment do so with their host organisation while 42% do so with another organisation. The Indecon evaluation report also identifies that 36% of all finishers immediately progress into paid employment at the end of their internship, increasing to 50% within 3 months of completion of the internship and increasing again to 61.4%, five months after completion of their internship.
The numbers of those finishing early to move directly into employment is evidence of the satisfactory progress of the scheme. The levels of interns emigrating is reported at less than 2% and the number of interns leaving their internship early due to cost factors is reported at just 2%.
I intend to commission another evaluation of the Scheme in late 2014 to further evaluate a range of areas including the sustainability of employment secured by interns.
Table 1 – JobBridge Internships Finished Each Year
Year
|
Finished early
|
Finished Full
|
Internships Ongoing
|
Total
|
2011
|
1727
|
2046
|
0
|
3773
|
2012
|
4530
|
5043
|
0
|
9573
|
2013
|
3633
|
1989
|
5700
|
11322
|
2014
|
9
|
1
|
559
|
569
|
Total
|
9899
|
9079
|
6259
|
25237
|
Data: 27
th
January 2014.