Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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119. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the current number of persons participating in the JobBridge scheme, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41469/15]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, commenced in July 2011 and to date has attracted the voluntary participation of 44,388 participants and over 18,000 Host Organisations. There are currently 4,865 participants on the programme.

I table below outlines the current numbers of JobBridge participants by County.

The scheme was introduced as an extraordinary and temporary response to the unprecedented collapse in the economy – particularly the sharp increase in unemployment. Independent research indicates a progression rate to employment of over 60%, the highest of any of our employment schemes.

Notwithstanding the success of the scheme, the Department has commissioned another independent evaluation. The results of the evaluation are expected in early 2016 and will inform any further changes to the scheme.

Table 1. JobBridge Participants by County - Figures as at 19^thNovember, 2015