Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 July 2023
578. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the internships, apprenticeships and graduate schemes run by his Department and public bodies under the aegis of his Department. [35479/23]
View answerThe Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine welcomes students to take part in internships and to avail of work experience throughout our divisions and subdivisions. With opportunities available in administrative, laboratory and technical Divisions, my Department facilitates the assignment of students within the division which is relevant to their area of study. All students are mentored by experienced members of staff.
Placements are facilitated within IT business areas, supporting the development of students undertaking IT degree courses.
The Department Laboratories accept 3rd year students for internship placements along with a small number of 4th year students, facilitating their project work within the Laboratory Divisions.
The Department also engages veterinary and agricultural students for professional work experience placements and liaises with educational institutions on their placements. Across the range of Third Level Institutions offering the Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree (NFQ Level 8) programme, there is a Professional Work Experience component for which students receive academic credit. My Department provides a number of placement opportunities for undergraduate students in these courses, providing students with valuable work experience. Specifically for students in UCD’s Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine course my department provides a number of placement opportunities across various veterinary and laboratory based divisions.
In collaboration with other Civil Service colleagues, my Department has worked on the development of a Pilot Civil Service Internship Programme to provide employment opportunities for members of the Traveller and Roma communities. Recruitment for this programme, which was led by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) and the Department of Justice commenced in early 2023 and two participants from this internship programme are currently in roles in my Department.
Further, along with Civil Service colleagues, my Department participates in the Civil Service ICT Apprenticeship programme. This programme combines work-based learning with a formal training programme. Participants work as a full-time member of staff, being released to attend a structured training programme with the training provider. The apprenticeship is for a two-year period and those who successfully achieve all programme elements will obtain a Quality and Qualification Ireland (QQI) Advanced Certificate Award placed at Level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). In addition, those who successfully complete the two-year apprenticeship will be given the opportunity to continue to develop their digital and ICT career as an ICT Specialist at Executive Officer level in a Civil Service Department or Office.
My Department is committed to promoting and maintaining an inclusive and diverse workplace for all employees and is a long-time supporter of providing employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. My Department has participated for many years in the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) Programme. This programme provides a six-month paid and mentored work placement for graduates with a disability. In the last few years, the Department has increased the number of placements it has made available under the WAM programme. Many former participants of the programme have gone on to secure permanent employment in the Civil Service.
Following the launch of the Oireachtas Work Learning programme (OWL) by the Ceann Comhairle in September 2018, my Department has collaborated with the Houses of the Oireachtas to provide learning opportunities for trainees on this programme. The OWL programme is a learning, development and socialisation programme for young adults with an intellectual disability. The programme aims to provide a real and applied learning experience to the participants in a safe and secure work environment, to support them in developing the skills which will lead them to access paid employment in the open labour market.
A confined recruitment competition for permanent part time posts across the Civil and Public Sector for graduates from the OWL programme took place in December 2021. This competition, which was supported by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) was confined to OWL graduates who had completed the 2019/2020 OWL programme.
Many of the graduates were successful in securing permanent employment in the Civil Service and I am delighted to say that we welcomed one of the OWL graduates to a permanent post in my Department in June 2022.
Guided by the Governments ambitious 'Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025' my Department is in the inception stages of exploring the development of an apprenticeship programme for Technical Agricultural Officers.
The question of participation in such programmes and schemes within the State Agencies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter and I will ask the Agencies to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
