JobBridge has made significant progress since its introduction in July 2011. At any one time, the scheme provides up to 8,500 work experience placements for jobseekers, in organisations in the private, public, community and voluntary sectors.
To date, over 37,700 internship placements having commenced, there are currently 6,140 interns on the programme and a further 1,129 positions are advertised on the JobBridge website.
As of 26 February, 2015, a total of 814 internships had commenced in County Clare. Of those, 324 had finished early, 362 had finished in full and there are 128 current placements. 145 internships ended with the individual going directly into employment with the host organisation, and a further 84 with the individual going directly into employment elsewhere.
These figures do not include interns who entered employment in the period subsequent to the completion of the internship. Independent research indicates that sixty per cent of interns secure employment within five months of the completion of the internship.
The Department does not routinely collect statistics on the number of JobBridge interns offered part-time employment.