Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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185. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the way companies (details supplied) are being permitted to advertise jobs as internships. [10533/15]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The aim of JobBridge is to assist individuals to bridge the gap between unemployment and the world of work. In the current labour market environment JobBridge provides individuals with a unique opportunity to secure work experience in a new field.

The scheme has made very significant progress since it came into operation in July 2011. To date some 37,700 internship placements have commenced with over 6,100 participants currently undertaking internships and over 1,000 internship posts available on the JobsIreland website.

A variety of measures have been introduced to protect the intern and to ensure the integrity of the JobBridge Scheme. In order for an application from a host organisation to be approved it must meet a number of criteria and the host organisation must accept the terms and conditions of the scheme before their application can be processed.

The full list of the criteria for host organisations is listed on the Jobbridge Section of the Department’s website , which includes the following:

- In order to qualify for an internship an organisation must have a minimum of 1 full time employee who is employed for 30 hours or more per week;

- The host organisation must be a legal entity and/or a charity recognised by the Revenue Commissioners;

- The host organisation may not provide an internship opportunity under the Scheme to an individual they have an existing or had a previous employment relationship with;

- The host organisation may not have vacancies in the area of activity in which the internship is offered; and

- The internship cannot displace an employee. The scheme administrator reserves the right to review cases where it is reported that this is the case.

These criteria are to ensure that the internship does not displace an existing position; that it provides appropriate training and development experience; and that appropriate mentoring and support is provided to the intern. Additionally in order for an internship to commence a Standard Agreement must be signed and agreed to by both the intern and the host organisation. This Agreement clearly sets out the terms of the internship; including the expected working hours and the specific learning outcomes the intern will gain over the course of their internship. The Department has a robust monitoring system in place to ensure compliance with the scheme criteria.

It is also worth noting that participation in the scheme is voluntary and an intern may contact the JobBridge Team at any stage of their internship for advice and support. Consequently, any individual, who suspects that an internship may be in breach of the scheme’s criteria, including cases of suspected displacement and quality, may contact the JobBridge team. All such matters are taken seriously by the Department and are fully investigated.