Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

My direct responsibility is for enterprise policy and we support people establishing enterprise and employment regardless of age. Many of the new opportunities being made available through decisions of companies to expand mean the recruitment of young, well-educated people. The issue about which the Deputy is concerned is younger people who perhaps have a skill mismatch or who have come out of college and need work experience. It is not my area of responsibility but as the Deputy knows the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, introduced the JobBridge scheme which specifically targets people who leave college and need to get work experience. I understand there has been a high take-up of it and it has almost achieved its target participation level. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, also examined the specific needs of young people who perhaps left education and went into construction or another sector. He has introduced schemes such as Springboard to target their need to switch. A number of interventions have been made. Deputy Burton's initiative is examining long-term unemployment and the risk profile of people who become unemployed. Young people with a risk profile will get support through her interventions. If the Deputies wish to get into the detail of this I advise them to table a question to the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, who has at her fingertips information on the structures and approach she has adopted.

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