Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 81: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the policy she will pursue to ensure that very high graduate unemployment, which is indicated by the 30% of graduates from University College Dublin in 2009 who are unemployed according to a UCD survey will find work including placement internship training opportunities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41369/10]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Government acknowledges unemployment is a significant problem and is committed to tackling it. It should be noted that the Quarterly National Household Survey from Q2 2010 shows that 75% of those who are unemployed possess PLC or lower qualifications and unemployed people with 3rd level education account for 21%. It should also be noted that people with higher skills and education attainment are more employable and therefore more likely to secure employment. The Government in order to minimise the drift into very long-term unemployment has decided to prioritise four priority cohorts of the unemployed. The four cohorts who are most at risk of becoming distant from the labour market, are: *People with low skills or education levels;*People who are on the Live Register for over one year;*People who are under 35 years of age, *People who were previously employed in the construction, manufacturing and wholesale/retail trade. Recent graduates therefore mainly fall into the priority cohort of under 35 and can avail of priority access to training and education opportunities that are available to the unemployed. However, the Government does recognise that at present there is a lack of employment opportunities for young graduates entering into the labour market, and therefore many young graduates may become distant from the labour market without relevant work experience. To address this situation the Work Placement Programme (WPP) was introduced last year. This programme provides participants with a nine month work placement and it is aimed at graduates and non-graduates. The programme offers participants the opportunity to apply their knowledge and develop their skills in a working environment. The programme has been promoted to graduates at various college graduate fairs, several Grad Ireland sponsored events, and via relevant graduate publications and websites. To date 1,106 graduates have commenced under the programme. My colleague Minister O'Keeffe has also introduced a number of initiatives for graduates to gain valuable work experience and to retain a talented pool of graduates in Ireland. This year Enterprise Ireland introduced two initiatives to support graduates, including, the Graduates 4 International Growth (Pilot Programme) and the Enterprise Ireland International Graduate Programme. The Graduates 4 International Growth (G4IG) programme, which was launched on 30 August 2010, aims to place 50 top-level college graduates in export-led Irish firms. It is 18 months in duration, with participants based for a minimum of 12 months in an overseas market. It has a strong focus on action learning and project work coupled with skills modules on relevant topics such as cultural diversity, market development/strategy, sales and marketing. The programme matches graduates who show potential with ambitious internationally trading companies and provides them with a structured means of developing new skills in business development, while also delivering a key project for the companies involved. Enterprise Ireland's International Graduate Programme involves a placement of 2 years. This programme aims to provide 15 graduates with in-depth overseas marketing and business strategy know how. Graduates with primary and post-graduate degrees across disciplines such as business, social science, science, manufacturing technology and engineering who would like to make a career in international Irish businesses are eligible. Graduates taking part in the 2010 International Graduate Programme commenced working in their overseas locations on 27 September. Applications for the 2011–2013 programme will be invited in October 2010 and the closing date will be 31 January 2011. The Government remains committed to addressing Ireland's unemployment problem and continues to actively explore new measures including internship and upskilling programmes for graduates.