JobBridge Is A Pathway To Full-Time Employment – Coffey

Fine Gael Waterford Deputy, Paudie Coffey, has said that the JobBridge internship scheme is a clear and dependable pathway to full-time employment, which has seen 36 per cent of intern graduates in Waterford moving directly into employment, while 61 per cent of interns nationally have secured employment five months after graduating from the scheme. Deputy Coffey obtained this information by way of a Parliamentary Question to Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD.

Deputy Coffey said: "The figures released to me by Minister Burton show that since the scheme started in July 2011, some 16,326 placements have commenced nationally. Since that time, 556 placements have commenced in Waterford alone, with 200 placements currently on-going. An independent evaluation of the JobBridge scheme by Indecon Economic Consultants found that 61 per cent of individuals who have participated in JobBridge have progressed into employment within five months of completing their internship placements. This means that if Waterford follows the national trend, 217 of the 356 interns that have completed their internships in Waterford, should have found full-time employment within five months.

"The figures also reveal that one out of every three interns in Waterford have secured employment immediately after completing their placement, either with their host organisation or with another employer. These results show that, despite the early criticism and downright defeatism of some of the commentary in respect of this scheme, it has been an overwhelming success.

"This scheme, the aim of which is to get people that have been out of work for a long spell back into employment, is having an impact. It is improving people's prospects of regaining their livelihoods, while at the same time helping to get the economy back on a stronger footing. There is no doubt that the experience gained and skills learnt by interns while on their placements are leading to interns securing much needed jobs, as they add to the organisations that employ them and that are looking to expand."

(CD/H)