Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a job advertised under the jobbridge programme (details supplied) which could be wrongly interpreted as a full-time paid position upon initial examination, if this is acceptable and should be rectified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40117/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, provides internship opportunities of either 6 or 9 months for unemployed individuals on the Live Register, in organisations operating in the private, public and community voluntary sectors. Internship opportunities can vary significantly spanning many occupations/disciplines from high skill specialist placements to lower skilled general placements. The principal aim of internships advertised is to provide interns with an opportunity to keep close to the labour market while gaining valuable experience in a working environment and thus enabling them to increase the knowledge and skills required to explore a new career path or enhance their career prospects and build their confidence through work experience.

The scheme has made significant progress to-date. Our records indicate that a significant proportion of individuals have progressed into employment across various occupations/ disciplines on completion of their internship placements. To ensure that both the host organisation and intern are abiding by the spirit and the rules of the scheme, the JobBridge team are involved in the continuous monitoring of internships. This involves the regular review of monthly compliance reports and the conducting of random monitoring site visits to facilitate discussions with both parties to the Internship.

All internships advertised on the JobBridge website clearly state “This is an internship. An allowance of €50 per week will be paid in addition to your current social welfare payment. See eligibility criteria above.”