5,000 Internships are not enough

29 Jun 2011

On the day the Government launched their new National Internship Scheme the upward trend in the Live Register continues. In June 2011 the seasonally adjusted register stood at 446,800. Though welcoming the new scheme the INOU notes that the monthly increase in the Live Register was 2,900: an increase that would absorb almost 60% of the number of internship places the Government intends to create.
The Government have a number of initiatives that if communicated and managed well could offer unemployed people real hope. For example, springboard.ie offers unemployed people an opportunity to re-educate and re-train themselves in qualifications aimed at sectors where there is potential employment growth.
Today's National Internship Scheme also offers unemployed people, including non-graduates, an opportunity to develop their skills while gaining valuable work experience. The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, T.D. is hopeful that these internships could turn into jobs. Indeed, one of their selling points to potential employers with the scheme is that it presents an opportunity to "access potential future employees". It is critical that they monitor this programme well so that it provides a meaningful and fruitful stepping stone for unemployed people into paid work.