Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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14. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of JobBridge participants that have been employed by her Department; the number of JobBridge participants that have gained full employment in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10444/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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As the Deputy is aware, the JobBridge scheme has made significant progress since it came into operation on 1^st July 2011. Over 26,000 placements have commenced to-date and over 6,500 jobseekers are currently participating in the scheme. 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%. I am also very encouraged by the high rate of employment among participants who completed their internships in the public sector with 41% of these interns progressing into paid employment.

The positive rates of progression into employment among public sector interns also show that the benefits of the development and experience that interns gain in public sector host organisations facilitates them in gaining employment. In addition to the positive progression outcomes, interns found that they also benefited from an increase in their self-confidence, the opportunity to gain quality work experience and the opportunity to establish a network of contacts.

In relation to my own Department, since the inception of the JobBridge internship scheme, this Department has taken on 9 interns. As the Deputy will be aware, there has been a moratorium on employment in the Civil Service for a number of years. Accordingly, it has not been possible for any JobBridge intern to gain full employment in my Department.

In the letter of offer issued to interns, they were informed of the temporary nature of the internship, that it is not a civil service position and that it carries no entitlement to permanent appointment. Please find below a table indicating the number of interns by year and employment in my Department as requested.