Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 20: To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views that JobBridge internship advertisements and recruitment processes requiring candidates to already have experience contravenes the spirit of the scheme as it was described by her on 13 October 2011 when she stated that JobBridge was set up to address the catch-22 position where a person cannot get a job because they do not have experience but cannot get experience because they cannot get a job, and if she will exclude such employers from the scheme as such a requirement is a clear indication of their exploitative intent. [36247/11]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 33: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will issue additional directions for JobBridge, or introduce legislation if necessary, akin to those issued by the US Department of Labour in 2010 which provide that internships with for-profit employers must involve training similar to the training given in a vocational school or academic institution and that the employer must derive no immediate advantage from the intern's activities, in other words productive work must be properly paid for. [36246/11]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 36: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps she has taken since mid-October to prevent exploitation, displacement and abuse under the JobBridge internship scheme. [36245/11]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 42: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps being taken to ensure that employers do not abuse the JobBridge scheme. [35945/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 43: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of interns on the JobBridge scheme who have attained full employment through the scheme. [35946/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 20, 33, 36, 42 and 43 together.

JobBridge, the national internship scheme, came into operation on 1st July. JobBridge provides internship opportunities of either 6 or 9 months for unemployed individuals on the Live Register, in organisations in the private, public and community voluntary sectors. The first internships commenced in mid-July and, as of Friday 18th November, a total of 2,712 internships have commenced. As JobBridge internships are for either 6 or 9 months it is too early to determine the number of interns who have attained full employment as a result of their internship.

Earlier this month my Department issued a request for tenders to evaluate the JobBridge scheme. Progression rates from JobBridge into employment will feature as part of this evaluation. It is expected that this evaluation will commence in early 2012.

As I outlined in mid-October, the JobBridge scheme has a number of measures to prevent the abuse of the scheme by employers, protect the intern from exploitation and ensure the integrity of the JobBridge scheme. In order for all applications from host organisations to be approved they must meet a number of criteria to ensure that the potential internships are of sufficient quality. These include the following: · that the internship does not allow the intern to work unsupervised; · that the internship is not displacing an employee; and · that the intern accrues significant experience throughout the entire internship.

In order for an internship to commence a Standard Internship Agreement must be signed by both the intern and the host organisation. This Agreement clearly stipulates the terms of the internship and states the specific learning outcomes the intern will receive over the course of their internship. At the end of an internship, host organisations must supply the intern with a reference which includes a statement of all training undergone by the intern as part of the internship. To ensure compliance with the scheme, the Department of Social Protection and the Employment Services Division of FÁS are monitoring internships to ensure that they are of sufficient quality and that both host organisations and interns are abiding by the spirit and the rules of the scheme.

This involves the monitoring of monthly compliance reports that are required to be submitted by the host organisation verifying that the internship is proceeding as set out in the Standard Internship Agreement. Monitoring also includes random site visits to host organisations and interns. A 'whistle blowing' feature has been introduced, where any individual who suspects that an internship may be in breach of the scheme's criteria, including in cases of suspected displacement or poor quality, may contact the National Call Centre. All such claims will be investigated.

While developing JobBridge, officials from my Department looked at similar models around the world, both in private and public sector organisations. I believe that the measures put in place are currently sufficient in relation to the operation of the JobBridge scheme. However, my Department continuously monitors the scheme and will introduce additional measures if the need arises. The aim of the scheme is to provide those seeking employment with the opportunity to gain valuable work experience, maintain close links with the labour market and to enhance their skills and competencies through a quality internship opportunity.

Under JobBridge criteria, host organisations are not permitted to advertise an internship requesting experience. The internship application clearly sets this out. Where host organisations request prior experience in their internship advertisement, the National Contact Centre agents in FÁS should not process the application in its current form. In the event that an application is inadvertently processed it will be removed from the website as soon as the error is noticed.

FÁS employment services are continually monitoring the internships to ensure they provide a meaningful experience for the intern. This requires, in some instances, direct interaction with potential host organisations before the internship is advertised to seek further clarification on the internship experience. In addition, a small group has been set up made up of FÁS and Department of Social Protection staff to regularly review host organisation applications.