Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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133. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a breakdown on a county basis of the total number of participants who have successfully completed a jobbridge internship; the success rate of jobbridge participants in subsequently finding employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26319/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The JobBridge Scheme has made exceptional progress since it came into operation on 1 July 2011. A recent independent evaluation conducted by Indecon Economic Consultants found that 61% of interns progress to paid employment after completing their internship. The 61% progression rate for JobBridge is among the best in Europe, where progression rates for similar internship schemes average just 34%.

The Indecon evaluation clearly demonstrates that JobBridge is delivering for thousands of jobseekers by providing them with valuable opportunities to gain relevant work experience, knowledge and skills in a workplace environment. JobBridge is a key instrument which is delivering on the Government’s Pathways to Work agenda.

A breakdown of internships by county and region as at 16 May 2013 is set out in the following table: