merrion street

Taoiseach Enda Kenny in conversation with Minister Burton and Alan Gray of Indecon

Three in five participants in JobBridge – the national internship scheme - secure employment following their internship, according to an independent evaluation published today by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Social Protection Minister Joan Burton.

The evaluation, conducted by Indecon Economic Consultants, shows that 61% of interns progress to paid employment after completing their internship.

The 61% progression rate for JobBridge is among the best in Europe, where progression rates for similar internship schemes average just 34%.

The evaluation report also found that:

• 96% of host organisations would recommend JobBridge to another employer
• 89% of interns stated that JobBridge had given them new skills
• Interns found that they also benefitted from:
• an increase in their self-confidence
• the opportunity to gain quality work experience
• the opportunity to establish a network of contacts

The Taoiseach and Minister Burton jointly launched the report at the offices of LinkedIn in Dublin. LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network with more than 200 million members, is among the companies which have benefitted from JobBridge, hosting interns who later progressed to full-time employment with the company.

Welcoming the findings of the report, the Taoiseach said:

The Government has an ambitious plan to modernise and improve our work activation services as part of our Pathways to Work strategy. JobBridge was a key early scheme to help deliver on this agenda. It is now clear that JobBridge is delivering for thousands of jobseekers by providing them with valuable opportunities to gain relevant work experience, knowledge and skills in a workplace environment.

 Minister Burton said:

JobBridge has proven to provide a very effective pathway back to work, with an overall progression rate of 61% into employment. Since I launched the scheme in 2011, more than 16,700 people have participated in it –  the independent evaluation proves its immense value. The scheme is making a real difference to the lives of jobseekers, including those who are experiencing long-term unemployment.

Also speaking at the launch was former JobBridge participant Shane Ashmore, who following an internship with LinkedIn has secured a full-time position as an Enterprise Accounts Analyst with the organisation.

The Government emphasised the importance of JobBridge in Budget 2013, increasing the number of places by 42% from 6,000 to 8,500. JobBridge is one of a number of schemes overseen by the Department of Social Protection which offers work, training and educational places. More than €1 billion will be spent on these schemes and related supports this year, providing 85,000 places in total.

 The full report is available from the Department of Social Protection website at