Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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37. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection how many persons have participated in the JobBridge scheme in counties Galway and Mayo, in each year since the scheme was introduced; how many of the participants have been kept on at the same workplace or are in full-time employment elsewhere, since completing the JobBridge placement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3595/16]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Tables giving the details requested by the Deputy are set out below in this reply.

JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, was introduced in July 2011 in response to the unprecedented collapse in the economy – particularly the sharp increase in unemployment.

The primary aim of the scheme is to give unemployed people the opportunity to secure work experience and prove their competence to prospective employers. To date, JobBridge has attracted the voluntary participation of over 45,300 interns and encouraged over 18,000 Host Organisations to offer them a wide range of work experience opportunities. There are currently almost 4,400 people on internships.

Table 1 below gives the details of the number of participants in Counties Galway and Mayo since the scheme was introduced. Table 2 provides details of the number who progressed into employment immediatelyon cessation of the internship. The Department does not keep a record of the number of participants who progress into employment at some stage thereafter, but the independent evaluation of the programme by Indecon in 2013 indicated that some 61% of participants progress into employment (either with the host organisation or another employer) within 5 months of completion of an internship.

A further robust external evaluation of JobBridge is currently underway with the aim of assessing the suitability, relevance and effectiveness of the programme. It includes:

* a detailed counterfactual impact evaluation,

* a robust assessment of deadweight and displacement,

* a comprehensive qualitative assessment of host organisation and participant perspectives on the quality and future of JobBridge, including one-to-one case studies.

Table 1. JobBridge Internships Started in Galway and Mayo by Year

Table 2. Employment Outcomes for Interns in Galway and Mayo Immediately on finishing Internships