A CALL for the introduction of a graduate internship programme, where businesses can take graduates off the dole by paying them the same amount of money, has been made by Prof Patrick Wall of UCD.
Prof Wall said the future of the agri-sector was with the young people, and if their enthusiasm was killed the industry would die.
“More people have enrolled for agriculture in UCD in 2009 than have for years and the new dairy business degree was oversubscribed.” The educated youth were the ammunition that fired up the Celtic Tiger, he added.
“They can bring us back from the current economic crisis as they were not part of its creation and they are not infected with the negativity, and the ‘it can’t be done’ attitude that has become endemic in Irish society. In fact, they are naively positive about life,” he said.
Prof Wall said the graduate labour market has collapsed and to see bright enthusiastic graduates on the dole was a tragedy. Rather than firing up the economy, these young people would be psychologically scarred from being unemployed.
“In the past, emigration was an option for them but now nowhere is currently going well enough to absorb our youth.
“In addition to wasting a phenomenal resource, leaving these young people on the dole creates a ripple effect that could feed back to those already in college and also those doing their Leaving Certs, who may become disheartened if they think they have no prospects,” he said.