Burton awaits report on JobBridge cleaning posts

Department officials are to report to Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton about the JobBridge controversy in which school cleaner and caretaker jobs were advertised on the intern scheme.

Ms Burton said today the scheme is monitored “very carefully”, and in cases where offers were made which did not meet the criteria “we would not allow that to go ahead”.

Speaking to reporters after addressing a conference in Dublin on homelessness, the Tánaiste said where such offers were made which did not meet the criteria, “we would look very carefully at any other JobBridge applications” those sponsors would make.

When it was put to the Minister that the scheme was not being sufficiently monitored if job advertisements on its website had to be taken down, she said: “The officials dealing with that will certainly come back to me in due course and outline what the background to that was.

“But the essence of JobBridge that really has worked for so many people is a quality interning experience that gives the person work experience.”

Advertisements for school cleaners and caretakers on the scheme's website were taken down after the issue was first highlighted by RTÉ. Advertisements for school special needs assistants, however, remain on the website.

Earlier this week, Ms Burton said she did not believe it was the “best use” of the scheme to advertise a cleaning job.

Concerns were raised that advertising such positions on the voluntary scheme was displacing real jobs.

JobBridge aims to give unemployed people the experience of work, but not to displace real jobs. Entrants are paid €50 per week along with their social welfare payments.

Ms Burton said almost 33,000 people had availed of JobBridge, with further employment for between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of participants. “I’m happy to say that the organisations that have used JobBridge have given people a brilliant experience that has resulted to get more work.”