Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 7: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the Programme for Government's commitment to create additional training, work experience and education places will be included in the jobs initiative due to be published in May 2011. [9932/11]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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The programme for Government contains a commitment that the Government within the first 100 days of taking office, will provide a jobs initiative. This initiative will contain a package of measures to support employment creation and stimulate economic growth, while enhancing the activation supports available for those seeking employment. It will deliver a minimum of an additional 15,000 places in training, work experience and educational opportunities for those who are out of work as committed to in the programme for Government.

Details of these additional activation places will be contained in the forthcoming jobs initiative launch, which is due next week. The activation places outlined in the initiative will be in addition to 108,500 training places, 168,000 places in the further education sector and 156,000 places in the higher education sector, which the unemployed may access.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister, Deputy Ruarí Quinn, Deputy Seán Crowe and perhaps other Members of the House attended various teachers' conferences last week at which one of the major issues about which we heard was unemployment among graduates. We all know of the need to ensure that where job opportunities arise, people who are not retired and are genuinely seeking employment are given first refusal. The concern about employment opportunities is not just among graduates of teacher training colleges or those who have completed their bachelor of arts degrees but among all graduates. I welcome the Minister of State's reference to the specific provision of 15,000 places in the jobs initiative to be announced next week. Are these 15,000 places additional to the ones announced by the then Tánaiste in budget 2011?

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Yes. I nearly referred to the Deputy as Minister as I marked him in a former mandate. In terms of the issues raised vis-À-vis graduates, there will be a clear priority within the upcoming jobs initiative towards adopting a qualitative approach to internships. The intention is to take a more holistic view of the workplace programmes which it could be argued were not necessarily providing for the progression required in allowing students to progress from graduate status into the workplace and move further within that stream. There is a clear priority in terms of internships which are additional to the existing programmes. It should also be noted that there are at least 276,564 training places provided for if one takes the FÁS programme, the Skillnets programme, the labour market activation programme, the PLC programmes and the VTOS programmes. They are well encompassed and the 15,000 places are additional. It is envisaged that there will be a particular emphasis on providing quality internships in order to stem the tide of emigration and ensure graduates will not just be educated to take up jobs in such places as Australia and other countries. A qualitative approach will be taken to the placement of graduates.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with the Minister of State that it is not just a matter of placements; there must also be a qualitative approach. In many instances people who take up internships will bring new thinking and expertise to many public and private sector organisations which might not have had new entrants to the profession or workplace in recent times. They can bring new skills, expertise and thinking to the workplace. Will the Minister of State assure me that every public body, both central government, local government and statutory agency, with the private sector which also has a responsibility, will do its utmost to ensure as many internships as possible will be available as quickly as possible? My experience is that, unfortunately, these things move too slowly.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I can give that assurance. The point the Deputy made parallels my own thinking. It is clear that what is required is a more holistic approach to how we view training. It must be with a view to ensuring progression and an outcome in order that the person in training either stays within the organisation across a broad public or private sector sphere or that he or she moves on but that he or she will have gained a progressive experience. I will bear in mind what the Deputy said. As he will appreciate, at this juncture I cannot say what will be in the jobs initiative document, but there will be a clear emphasis on the points he made.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Minister of State outline when the internship places will be available on foot of the commitment given by his Fine Gael partners in government in the five point plan to provide placements for 23,000 unemployed graduates?

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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The programme for Government has been negotiated and mandated by the House. The most prescient approach would be to await publication of the jobs initiative.