Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

None of us disagrees with the absolute necessity to ensure that young people are interfacing with the labour market, which is hugely important. That is why our investment and activation programmes have a specific focus on young people. The youth framework that has been developed following consultation with the Minister of State, Deputy Dara Calleary, is distinctly looking at the needs of vulnerable young people. Deputy Penrose knows from the recent OECD visit that we have a particular exposure in the construction and retail sectors, where there is a low skills base. That is where the target needs to be. According to our policy perspective, there should be investment in education and training. Training should not be organised on the basis of any old thing, but on the basis of convergence technology or the conversion of existing people.

I have to say we are not happy with how the graduate programme has worked out. We are distinctly unhappy with the graduate and the non-graduate programmes. They should have worked out much easier. I have reviewed them with the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary. It is our clear intention to change them. I believe there is huge potential to create what Deputy Penrose described as an "internship", which is more or less what it is, to allow people to garner experience. Those who are looking for jobs need to get experience. Such a scheme would provide a wealth of experience in the public and private sectors. There is a huge enthusiasm to allow that to happen. The Minister, Deputy Mary Hanafin, has done considerable work to that end. We are undertaking a structural examination of the new programmes that are available to us. I refer to pathways to progression and to new training initiatives that would be specifically targeted at young and vulnerable people. The House is aware that resources will have to be targeted carefully. The considered view of everyone, which has been supported by the OECD, is that people under the age of 25 are the most vulnerable.

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