Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the witnesses for their presentations. There is a major role for the universities and the institutes of technology in terms of tackling youth unemployment. I would like to hear the witnesses views on whether they believe there is a role for increased levels of research and development in the universities and institutes of technology and whether that could be brought about through the youth guarantee and funding from it.

I refer to the JobBridge programme and the figures we are getting of three out of five participants graduating to full employment within five months. Do the witnesses believe we could look at trying to incentivise that programme further by channelling resources towards increasing the amount a participant receives? In rural areas and in the constituency I serve, one of the problems relayed to me is that people are delighted to get an internship, that they are learning, that it is good for their curriculum vitae and that they feel it enhances their prospects for future employment. However, the cost of travelling to work and paying for lunches and so on is far more than €50 in some cases, especially if one considers someone might have to travel from Ballinskelligs to Tralee in County Kerry, which is the same as travelling from Dublin to Limerick time-wise. Is that something that could be considered? I have raised it previously. We could consider increasing the €50 to try to add success to what is overall a successful programme, although like every programme, it has flaws.

Over the past two and a half years since getting this particular job, my office has been almost like a recruitment agency. I get many CVs from people of all ages and from all socioeconomic backgrounds desperately trying to find employment. It is something which weighs very heavily on me. It is probably the same for every member. One is trying to put people in contact with different employers and so on.

We are badly lacking a register of people available to work which outlines their details - not necessarily their private details but details such as gender, age, qualifications and skills - so that prospective employers could log on to a website, look at these details, try to short-list people and make contact with them. It would be a great help. In a way, it would be like a dating website but for employment. It would not disclose someone's personal information but rather basic information. Employers have asked me if I know people qualified in certain areas. It would cut out the middle man. Perhaps funding from this could go towards establishing a website.