Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My question is related to the same matter rather than the Minister having to go back to it again.

I welcome in principle the concept of the youth guarantee scheme. For a long time, we have been talking about youth unemployment and we have not heard of anything to target it. We are at least starting to talk and think about it. Obviously, the important detail must be worked out.

I have a number of questions on this for the Minister. Does she know how many of those under 25 are unemployed graduates, in other words, with a higher education degree? Those with higher education degrees need not be turned around and put back into education because they might be only coming out of it, aged 23. They would need job specific training or internships. I propose that the Minister extend this scheme to those between the ages of 25 and 30. I realise that would add further to the budgetary issues about which Deputy Ó Snodaigh spoke, but we now know there is a future in digital technology. An EU Commissioner has stated that by 2015 there will be 700,000 IT engineers lacking across the EU. We need to examine the skills set of graduates up to the age of 30 and ask what type of training and conversions the Department could offer to give them the correct skills set to match the genuine needs. We are kidding ourselves if we say governments can create jobs. Governments do not create jobs. Governments create schemes or training programmes that will equip young people for the jobs being created by industry or by business. I look forward to hearing the Minister's answer to my question about the graduates, the needs, and whether she would be looking at those between the ages of 25 and 30. Will I come back on the other questions later?