Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Senators will appreciate that it is a difficult job to find the resources to finance everything I would like to provide. In regard to work incentives, we are opening up the JobsPlus scheme to include people under 26 years of age who are unemployed for six months or more. JobBridge is already open to those who have been unemployed for three months. We have to get employers in this country, as they do in Austria and Germany, to play an active part in finding a solution. At a recent meeting of the Global Irish Economic Forum I spoke to many Irish people who are living and working in countries like Austria and Germany and were astonished to hear of the lack of places in Ireland for traditional apprenticeships. In those countries, such apprenticeships cover a huge range of different occupations, with both entry-level and middle-level jobs available. People who excel at those positions often subsequently go on to further academic and career success.