JobBridge

Last updated

JobBridge was a national internship scheme formulated in 2011 by the government of Ireland. [1]

Contents

Format

JobBridge's stated aim was to "assist in breaking the cycle where jobseekers were unable to get a job without experience." [2] €50 was added to the trainee's weekly unemployment allowance. [3] In an attempt to prevent abuse, employers could not have laid anyone off within three months prior to signing up for the scheme and trainees must had been on the live register for three months or more. [4]

As of August 2011, 1,285 internships had been listed on the scheme's website, with a further 500 being vetted for listing, 473 interns had been selected and 292 had started their programs. [5] On 9 August 2011 the National Economic and Social Council called for the scheme to be expanded beyond the initial 5000 internships originally planned in order to make a bigger difference to unemployment. [6] [7]

On 22 May 2016, it was announced by Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar, that the internship scheme was to be discontinued after five years. Varadkar said that he was going to replace the JobBridge internship scheme with a more targeted scheme in 2017. [8] This announcement came a week after Minister of State for Training and Skills John Halligan called for the controversial scheme to be cut.

On 21 October 2016, the JobBridge scheme was officially closed down.

History

JobBridge attracted criticism from campaign groups, politicians and trainees alike. The Work Must Pay campaign, a network of trade union activists and members of political groups, was active from 2014 to 2015 and called for an end to all free labour schemes such as JobBridge. [9] The Work Must Pay campaign put pressure on employers that advertised for unpaid interns through JobBridge to end their involvement in the scheme by protesting outside their businesses. Disability rights organisations, including the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (Ahead) and The Irish Wheelchair Association, had in the past criticised JobBridge for excluding people with disabilities who were in receipt of disability allowance. [10] [11]

All of Ireland's opposition political parties spoke out against JobBridge. Fianna Fáil called for the abolition of JobBridge to end the “exploitation of young Irish people by the programme”. [12] Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams accused the government of massaging unemployment figures through "forced labour" schemes like JobBridge and Gateways. Former Socialist Party MEP Paul Murphy said “the taxpayer is subsidising free labour for big companies as well as the exploitation of the interns themselves”. He criticised car repair firm Advance Pitstop for seeking to hire 28 interns through the scheme, which he claimed would save it €377,000 compared to the cost of hiring full-time staff. [13] Joe O'Connor, USI President, said that while the USI believed there was a need for quality internships and real upskilling opportunities for young people in Ireland, it was clear that JobBridge was “broken beyond repair." "Any internship scheme should be properly monitored and regulated and should not displace fully paid labour. Clearly, JobBridge is failing in that respect, and we believe it should be brought to an end.” [14]

Ireland's former social affairs minister Joan Burton, meanwhile, considered the scheme to have been a success. She said that a further 1,000 internships would be provided for and claimed on 9 May 2012 that 38% of those on JobBridge (797 people) had gone on to full-time employment. At first sight, that looked like a qualified success, but at closer inspection, it became clear that JobBridge failed to provide proper jobs for the unemployed. The government's Indecon report showed that 59% of people did not complete their internships. The government euphemistically referred to them as internships that ‘were ended before their scheduled timeframe', or as 'early-completers'. The government claimed that nearly 60% of internships resulted in employment.

“JobBridge is not just an attack on those seeking work but also part of a much broader attempt to reduce the pay and conditions of workers in all sectors of the economy,” commented CWU Youth Committee Chair, Derek Keenan. “The scheme has depressed real job creation by allowing employers to avail of a free labour pool of unemployed workers desperate to get a foothold within the labour market. This abuse must cease; everyone deserves to be paid for their labour and we are calling on the government to phase out the scheme,” he added. [14]

A Republic of Telly sketch compared JobBridge with the Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave . The sketch compared the government's JobBridge scheme to slavery, "Why don't they just create real jobs" and "I thought the whole point of an internship was that you had a job at the end?" [15]

In September 2014, there was controversy over the scheme's use for hiring school cleaners. The Department of Social Protection subsequently removed all references to school cleaners and caretakers from the JobBridge register. [16]

See also

JobPath, successor scheme to JobBridge

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unemployment</span> People without work and actively seeking work

Unemployment, according to the OECD, is people above a specified age not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the reference period.

Unemployment benefits, also called unemployment insurance, unemployment payment, unemployment compensation, or simply unemployment, are payments made by authorized bodies to unemployed people. In the United States, benefits are funded by a compulsory governmental insurance system, not taxes on individual citizens. Depending on the jurisdiction and the status of the person, those sums may be small, covering only basic needs, or may compensate the lost time proportionally to the previous earned salary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jobcentre Plus</span> Brand used by the Department for Work and Pensions in the UK

Jobcentre Plus is a brand used by the Department for Work and Pensions in the United Kingdom.

The Youth Training Scheme (YTS) was the name in the United Kingdom of an on-the-job training course for school leavers aged 16 and 17 and was managed by the Manpower Services Commission. The scheme was first outlined in the 1980 white paper A New Training Initiative: A Programme for Action, and it was brought into operation in 1983 to replace the Youth Opportunities Programme by the government of Margaret Thatcher. Initially lasting one year or six months, the scheme was amended in 1986 to be so that it could be extended to two years.

Work for the Dole is an Australian Government program that is a form of workfare, or work-based welfare. It was first permanently enacted in 1998, having been trialled in 1997. It is one means by which job seekers can satisfy the "mutual obligation requirements" to receive the Newstart Allowance, now replaced by the JobSeeker Payment. Other "mutual obligation" measures can include: accredited study, part-time work, Australian Army Reserves, and volunteer work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welfare in New Zealand</span> Overview of welfare in New Zealand

Social welfare has long been an important part of New Zealand society and a significant political issue. It is concerned with the provision by the state of benefits and services. Together with fiscal welfare and occupational welfare, it makes up the social policy of New Zealand. Social welfare is mostly funded through general taxation. Since the 1980s welfare has been provided on the basis of need; the exception is universal superannuation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Varadkar</span> Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020, and since 2022

Leo Eric Varadkar is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to December 2022. He has been Leader of Fine Gael since June 2017, and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency since 2007. He previously served under Taoiseach Enda Kenny as Minister for Social Protection from 2016 to 2017, Minister for Health from 2014 to 2016 and Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport from 2011 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Job guarantee</span> Economic policy proposal for full employment

A job guarantee is an economic policy proposal that aims to provide a sustainable solution to inflation and unemployment. Its aim is to create full employment and price stability by having the state promise to hire unemployed workers as an employer of last resort (ELR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youth unemployment in the United Kingdom</span>

Youth unemployment in the United Kingdom is the level of unemployment among young people, typically defined as those aged 18–25. A related concept is graduate unemployment which is the level of unemployment among university graduates. Statistics for June 2010 show that there are 926,000 young people under the age of 25 who are unemployed which equates to an unemployment rate of 19.6% among young people. This is the highest youth unemployment rate in 17 years. In November 2011 youth unemployment hit 1.02 million, but had fallen to 767,000 by August 2014. The high levels of youth unemployment in the United Kingdom have led some politicians and media commentators to talk of a "lost generation".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Career Edge Organization</span>

Career Edge Organization is a Canadian recruiter of candidates for internships with corporations,

Intern Aware is the United Kingdom national campaign for fair internships, founded in 2010. Working closely in cooperation with businesses, trade bodies and trade unions, they aim to help employers develop high quality internship schemes with recruitment based on merit, and payment that complies with employment law. They also work with interns to ensure they receive the pay they are potentially entitled to by law.

YMCA Training, Inc. is a non-profit organization in Boston that provides access to employment to low-income, unemployed adults through technical and office support skills training. The Boston program is part of a national network of local job training organizations called Training, Inc. National Association, which provides resources to organizations in the workforce development field. Other Training, Inc. member sites are currently located in Chicago, Indianapolis, and Newark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unemployment in the United Kingdom</span> Overview of unemployment in the United Kingdom

Unemployment in the United Kingdom is measured by the Office for National Statistics.

Unemployment insurance, also known as 失業保険, is the "user pays" system of unemployment benefits that operates in Japan. It is paired with Workers' Accident Compensation Insurance and referred to collectively as Labour insurance. It is managed by Hello Work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workfare in the United Kingdom</span> System of welfare regulations

Workfare in the United Kingdom is a system of welfare regulations put into effect by UK governments at various times. Individuals subject to workfare must undertake work in return for their welfare benefit payments or risk losing them. Workfare policies are politically controversial. Supporters claim that such policies help people move off welfare and into employment whereas critics argue that they are analogous to slavery or indentured servitude and counterproductive in decreasing unemployment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youth unemployment</span> Situation of young people who are willing to work but unable to find a job

Youth unemployment is the situation of young people who are looking for a job but cannot find a job, with the age range being defined by the United Nations as 15–24 years old. An unemployed person is defined as someone who does not have a job but is actively seeking one. To be qualified as unemployed for official and statistical measurement, the individual must be without employment, willing and able to work, of the officially designated "working age" and actively searching for a position. Youth unemployment rates tend to be higher than adult rates in every country in the world.

Unemployment in Hungary measured by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office shows the rate of unemployed individuals out of the labor force. The European Union's own statistical office, Eurostat also makes reports and predictions about the Hungarian job market and the unemployment rate in the country. The KSH's most recent unemployment data shows the unemployment rate for men 15-74 to be 3.3% and 4.1% for women.

As of 2011, 15.1% of people in Denmark had a basic activity disability, and 16.9% had an employment disability.

The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (COVID-19) Act 2020 was an Act of the Oireachtas which provided for additional powers for the state in the extraordinary circumstances of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish government response to the COVID-19 pandemic</span> Irish government response to COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, the Irish government introduced various public health and economic measures to mitigate its impact.

References

  1. ↑ "JobBridge: Government issues call to action for quality work experiences on internship scheme". Merrion Street. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  2. ↑ "Job Bridge National Internship Scheme" . Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  3. ↑ "USI Welcomes 5,000 New Places on 'Job Bridge' Initiative". GMIT Students' Union. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  4. ↑ "Reaction to Job Bridge - the National Internship Scheme". Sigmar Recruitment. 29 June 2011. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  5. ↑ Lillington, Karlin (5 August 2011). "Internship candidates can get back what they put in". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "Stark warning issued for Irish labour market". RTÉ. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  7. ↑ Brennan, Michael (10 August 2011). "Jobless face years on dole as training system 'fails'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  8. ↑ "JobBridge scheme to be scrapped in September". May 22, 2016 – via www.rte.ie.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ↑ "Work Must Pay website" . Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  10. ↑ Smyth, Jamie (26 July 2011). "Call for intern scheme to include those with disabilities". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  11. ↑ "Kenny denies 'forced labour' claims are behind drop in unemployed". Irish Independent. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  12. ↑ "Shutting down social media and 11 other motions at the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis". The Journal.ie. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  13. ↑ Carroll, Steven. "Abuse of JobBridge by firms 'minimal'". The Irish Times.
  14. 1 2 Harrington, Conor (2 February 2014). "Youth groups call for end JobBridge scheme: Youth advocacy groups have this week declared their opposition to the JobBridge scheme". Galway Independent. Archived from the original on 14 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  15. ↑ Cullen, Clare (1 April 2014). "Oscar-winning film trailer spoof: '12 years of Jobbridge'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  16. ↑ "All JobBridge advertisements for school cleaners and caretakers removed". RTÉ News. 20 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.