A NEW NATIONAL internship scheme called JobBridge has been launched by the government, which aims to provide 5,000 internship placements for unemployed people across the country.

Participants, who must have been on the live register for at least three months before applying, will get weekly payments of €50 while undertaking a three- to nine-month internship.

Minister Joan Burton said in a statement that the programme had already received “strong interest” from employers such as KPMG, Arthur Cox, Hertz, ESB, HP and Aer Lingus. Around 1,000 internships have already been offered.

The minister also said she hoped the scheme would be seen as a kind of “job interview for a longer period of employment”. She told Morning Ireland today that companies would be limited in the number of places they could offer and there is a time limit on how long the interns can stay. She also said that any interns who feel they are being exploited by participating companies should contact JobBridge and tell them what’s happening.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that the placement scheme is part of the government’s commitment to get people back to work, adding:

I believe that we need a collective effort by all sectors of society to tackle the challenges facing the country. JobBridge is just such a collective effort – with the goal of ensuring that we offer people the opportunity to gain work experience through quality internship.

Futher information is available on the scheme’s website and internship ads will begin appearing as of this Friday.

Have you ever done or offered an internship? Was it worthwhile? Add your views to the comments below.

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