COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, April 08, 2013

MOTION NO. 6

MOTION: Councillor C. Bond

This Council believes that internships if operated properly can be of great benefit to young people and job seekers of all ages.

Council Notes that while they are advantages to the Jobs Bridge scheme, certain employers have abused the service to avail of free Labour.

This council calls for, measures to root out employers who abuse the jobs bridge scheme.

This council believes that Any internship offered on jobs bridge should meet the following criteria.

-That the internship not be used to displace or replace jobs that could otherwise be filled by paid staff.

-That any skills acquired by interns be given some formal recognition.

-That each position must provide some prospect of permanent employment with the firm upon completion of the internship.

This council will convey the above to the Minister for Social Protection.

REPORT:

JobsBridge is a  National Internship Scheme that aims to  provide work experience placements for interns for a 6 or 9 month period.

The aim of the National Internship Scheme is to assist in breaking the cycle where jobseekers are unable to get a job without experience, either as new entrants to the labour market after education or training or as unemployed workers wishing to learn new skills. The scheme will also give people a real opportunity to gain valuable experience to bridge the gap between study and the beginning of their working lives.

Interns will receive an allowance of €50 per week on top of their existing social welfare entitlement. This will be payable for the period of the internship.

The criteria set out under the National Internship Scheme is as follows:

• This programme is open to host organisations in the private, public (including commercial semi-state) or community and voluntary sectors.
• In order to qualify for an internship an organisation must have a minimum of 1 full time employee who is employed for 30 hours or more per week (i.e. on payroll and subject to PAYE and PRSI).
• The host organisation must be a legal entity and/or a charity recognised by the Revenue Commissioners (with a CHY number).
• The host organisation may not provide an internship opportunity under the Scheme to an individual they have existing employment relationship with
• The host organisation currently may not have vacancies in the area of activity in which the internship is offered.
• The internship will not be provided to displace an employee. The scheme administrator reserves the right to review cases where it is reported that this is the case.
• The host organisation's public/employers liability insurance and motor insurance, if applicable, will cover any interns on this scheme.
• The host organisation must be fully compliant with current workplace health and safety and all other legal requirements.
• The host organisation has responsibility to ensure that the appropriate process is applied to placements that require Garda vetting. Interns must agree to comply with requests for Garda Vetting where necessary in accordance with the host organisation's policy on Garda Vetting.

South Dublin County Council have to date placed

Completed Internships:

1 intern with the Housing Department who undertook CCTV Monitoring reporting on incidents of anti-social behaviour. Placement completed 5^th November 2012.

1 intern with the Library Services who undertook the digitisation of heritage material. Placement completed 1^st March 2013.

Current Internships:

1 intern with the Arts Office as Project Assistant, supporting a new cultural diversity initiative. Placement commenced 3^rd December 2012.

2 interns with the Housing Department as CCTV Monitors reporting on incidents of anti-social behaviour. Placements commenced 12^th December 2012 and 21^st January 2013.

Pending Internships:

2 interns to commence placement as Energy Management Officers in the Architects Department working as part of a team to determine the level of Energy usage of South Dublin County Council and to further map this energy usage to determine the carbon baseline for the County. Proposed start date 2^nd April 2013 and 13^th May 2013.

Advertised Internships:

Communication Assistant – intern will support the South Dublin County Sports Partnership. Closing date 19^th April 2013.

Programme Manager, Link 2B Active – intern will manage the development of the ‘Link 2B Active’ Programme in association with the South Dublin County Sports Partnership. Closing date 19^th April 2013.

The Council is also committed to supporting the Government’s recent decision to extend the JobBridge Initiative which will allow Local Authorities to facilitate the placement of interns in locally based arts organisations; expressions of interest have been sought in this regard.

As can be seen from the above, the Council have and continue to use the Internship scheme to facilitate work experience placements in accordance with the terms of the National Internship Scheme.

If the motion is passed it will be conveyed to the Minister for Social Protection.