Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Indecon evaluation of JobBridge found that more than two thirds of internships were in private sector organisations, 22% were in the public sector and 9% were in community and voluntary sector organisations. As the Deputy is probably aware from his experience in the community sector, internships are highly sought after because of the number of fantastic people graduating from different courses and training, right up to postgraduate level and other senior levels, who find it almost impossible to get a job because they cannot get experience. Without experience, these graduates are locked into a catch-22 scenario.

The reason for the higher rate of employment among participants who complete their internships in the private sector is that private sector organisations frequently take on an intern in anticipation of hiring the person subsequently. The internship offers a mechanism for commencing a hiring process and giving experience. In the case of small and medium sized companies interns are frequently recruited when the internship finishes. The figure in public sector organisations is 41.2% and the figure in the community and voluntary sector is 43%, which is not as high as in the private sector.

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