Joan Burton TD, Minister for Social Protection, addressing the Irish Business Organization in New York

Older Interns? Getting Your Irish Up

5/14/2012

By Kerry Hannon, Contributor

In Tina Fey’s new movie, The Intern, she plays the founder of an e-business with a fashion focus, who takes on a 70-something intern to much eye-rolling angst.

Are internships for older workers on the cusp of going mainstream?

Marc Freedman, founder of Civic Ventures, writes in his recent Harvard Business Review blog, “Outsourcing The Old Folks: ”A small but expanding cluster of new movies is starting to grapple with the experience of millions of baby boomers entering uncharted territory in the years between midlife and anything resembling true old age.

I wouldn’t say senior internships are trending in the U.S., even if the notion is surfacing in conventional culture as entertainment.

The Senate Aging Committee, however, is holding a hearing tomorrow afternoon on efforts to address the issue of unemployment among older workers, “Missed by the Recovery: Solving the Long-Term Unemployment Crisis for Older Workers.” Maybe the idea will come up.

But in Ireland, there is an innovative internship program that welcomes older workers, called Pathways to Work.

It’s part of Ireland’s strategy to help the unemployed get back into the workforce.

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Minister Burton Addresses Labour Women’s On The Stability Treaty

 
I speak today as a woman, a mother, a Minister, deputy leader of the Labour Party and Director of Elections for the Labour Party’s referendum campaign on the Stability Treaty.

And no matter which of those hats I am wearing, I can give you any number of reasons to vote Yes.

As a woman, I have always looked favourably on the European Union. When Ireland joined the EU, I saw membership as a way of benefiting from all the freedoms which European women enjoyed: the right to work after we got married, the right to equal pay, the right to control our own fertility.

As a mother, I remain delighted that my own daughter and all her generation take those freedoms for granted.

But Europe hasn’t just been good for Irish women; it has been good for us all.

Our participation in the European Union helped us break free from British dominance; helped expand the definition of being Irish; helped us find markets for our goods and services and attracted multinational investors, mainly Americans, to our shores as they sought to gain a toehold for their products and services in the European marketplace.

Our European neighbours have over the years also supported us generously with structural funds so that our economy could catch up with the rest of Europe, bringing unprecedented prosperity on a scale that those who fought for Irish freedom could hardly dare to have dreamed of.

And let us not forget either that the European Union helped form bonds on a continent that had been ravaged by the Second World War – heralding a period not just of unprecedented prosperity, but of great peace as well.

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Minister aims to engage with employers and recruitment consultants to ensure they have access to skilled, work-ready candidates

The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD, this morning (Thursday 10^th May 2012) opened the National Recruitment Federation Annual Conference, which has as its theme ‘The Way Forward’.

 Speaking at the Conference, Minister Burton said: “The theme of your annual conference, ‘The Way Forward’  has never been more relevant – to you, the recruitment consultants, in your crucial work; to the Government in leading the country and the economy back to stability and prosperity; and, indeed, to me in my work in the Department of Social Protection. A major transformation is taking place in the way that employment and activation services are delivered. This is being driven by the Government’s ‘Action Plan on Jobs’ and ‘Pathways to Work’ policy initiatives. 

“We will not repeat the mistakes of the 1980s and 1990s when unemployment remained high even after economic recovery took hold. This time, those who have been unemployed will be job-ready when the recovery comes. Our target is to get 75,000 people who are currently long-term unemployed back into the workforce and to reduce the average time spent on the live register from 21 months today to less than 12 months by the end of 2015.”

Minister Burton told the delegates that they have a critical role to play in meeting these ambitious targets and strongly encouraged them to engage with her Department’s services and with those who are unemployed when making recruitment choices. The Minister assured delegates that jobseekers will, with the assistance of the Department of Social Protection, have received the supports that they need to enable them to be job ready, highly motivated and an asset to whichever organisation they join.  

Minister Burton continued: “My Department is resetting the relationship with employers and industry professionals.   Our aim is to develop more meaningful and strategic engagement with employers and recruitment consultants to ensure that you have access to skilled candidates who are work ready. 

“My officials are also exploring opportunities for contracting with the private sector as a means of complementing our own resources in areas such as job matching and job placement. As part of the consultations that have been underway, I have been taking a keen interest in the meetings that officials of my Department have been having with representatives of your Federation.”  

Minister Burton concluded by acknowledging the work of the National Recruitment Federation. The National Recruitment Federation comprises 3,000 recruitment consultants in almost 200 active employment agencies, placing almost 70,000 individuals, more than a third of whom are going into permanent placements.

A number of supports for employers and jobseekers from the Department of Social Protection are set out below. 

Notes:

 Supports for jobseekers and employment growth measures

• The Department of Social Protection will spend €977 million on employment supports including Community Employment schemes in 2012, up from €882 million in 2011. This increased spending of €95 million, against a backdrop of significant fiscal consolidation, underlines the Government’s commitment to enhancing support for employment.

• The Department is offering over 80,000 job placement or work experience initiatives in 2012 including JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, Tús, the Rural Social Scheme and the Jobs Initiative.

• The Employer Job (PRSI) Incentive Scheme, administered by the Department of Social Protection, which exempts employers from liability to pay their share of PRSI for certain employees for twelve months, was extended into 2012 and to cover the first 18 months of employment.

• The Government has introduced a range of reforms and incentives to support, protect and create jobs, including through the Jobs Initiative in May 2011.  Job creation and protection was also a central priority underpinning Budget 2012.

• A range of measures were included across a number of sectors to support employment growth in multinational and indigenous companies, the agri-food sector, international financial services, research and development activity and start–up companies.

The National Recruitment Federation

• The National Recruitment Federation, which was founded in 1971, is the representative body of the recruitment agency industry in Ireland. The Recruitment sector employs over 3,000 staff and approximately 40,000 temporary workers. The industry is worth €1billion per annum.

Expansion based on success in the first 10 months of the scheme

The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD today announced 1,000 extra places for JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme
 
Commenting on the successes of the scheme to-date, the Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD and Mr Martin Murphy Managing Director of HP Ireland and Chair of the Steering Group on the National Internship Scheme said that JobBridge had exceeded their expectations since it went live on 1st July last year.
 
“Such has been the level of demand for the scheme, I am delighted to be announcing proposals to increase the number of places available in JobBridge and to widen the eligibility criteria.” said Minister Burton “The number of available places will be increased to 6,000 with immediate effect.  The eligibility criteria will also be extended to include those in receipt of One Parent Family Payment and Disability Allowance.  These changes will take effect from 28th May 2012.”
 
The Minister added: “JobBridge was one of the pillars of the Government’s first Jobs Initiative and it set out to help those seeking employment to gain valuable experience while enhancing their prospects of securing employment. It is one element of the Department of Social Protection’s wider activation programme and a good example of how we engage with Jobseekers”
 
“The scheme has made significant progress to date.  In just ten months since the scheme was launched 6,840 internships have started. The initial target provided for a maximum of 5,000 places at any point in time.  At 4th May 2012, 4,670 participants were on JobBridge placements and 1,876 posts were being advertised on the scheme’s website.” (more…)