A Valuable Lesson

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Tanaiste Joan Burton

“Ms Burton also said that schools are governed by their boards and it is a matter for each individual school how they would decide how they want to use JobBridge…

“…The latest figures from the Department of Social Protection, which runs JobBridge, show that 182 people have taken up positions in the education sector over the past month. That is 18% of all JobBridge placements for the period. A further 110 positions are currently being advertised, with 43 schools advertising for 56 Special Needs Assistants (SNA)….”

Burton: Cleaning work not suitable for JobBridge (RTÉ)

(Photocall Ireland)

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18 thoughts on “A Valuable Lesson

  1. phil

    So JobBridge had many critics over the past few years… but it didnt look like that was doing any damage to the scheme.

    But today we discover that JobBridge is being used to hire Public Sector workers and suddenly , Minister has to be all over the media explaining herself.

    If Jobbidge is good enough for the the private sector , then it should be good enough for the public sector.

      1. realPolithicks

        +2014. Private companies have been taking actual jobs and turning the into “internships” to scam the system and exploit working people. Now the public sector is at it, what a disgrace.

        1. munkifisht

          Which is exactly what happened to me. Highly qualified, top of my class from prob the top university but was told on more than one occasion applying when applying for jobs I should sign on for 6 months and then come back under jobbridge.

          Under JobBridge, people are not paid a fair wage for a fair days work, they are lured with the prospect of a full time roll that usually never appears, and if they actually want to get a career it’s becoming more and more clear they are being forced into this scheme (or should that be scam). It’s tantamount to slave labour.

    1. Clampers Outside!

      I think you are missing the point there… it’s not a public/ private sector thing.

      Cleaning jobs are not to be advertised on JobsBridge… that pub in Kerry that did so in July, there was a school looking for a janitor also. Neither of these will be allowed.

      Regarding Special Needs Assistants, and those looking after kids with disabilities… people/ parents rightly believe that you cannot put someone with no training into a position dealing with potentially very demanding disabled children, it’s hard enough for those with such children to handle, but expecting someone straight off the street to be able to do so without training is a disgrace. That is what JobBridge is doing. That’s what the complaint is about.

      Jan O’Sullivan says… “schools are governed by their boards and it is a matter for each individual school how they would decide how they want to use JobBridge…” which IMO wholly wrong and typical of how this country treats disability of any sort.

      There is a qualification requirement to train as an SNA: “A minimum of three grade Ds in the Junior Certificate” – That’s it.

      That’s a qualification to get training. JobBridge lumping these people into the jobs without any training.

      ( SNA requirements to qualify for training are from the Dept of Education website – http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0021_2011.pdf )

      1. realPolithicks

        Your wrong about that. I heard a report on Morning Ireland today, which stated that 9 month internships were being advertised on JobBridge for cleaning schools and that the “skills” learned during this internship would be “how to clean schools”. If that is not exploitation then I don’t know what is. If it wasn’t for this JobBridge scam these schools and companies wold have to hire people for real jobs with real salaries and benefits.

  2. diddy

    INTO are right.. Dont normalise unpaid work for fully qualified teachers.. Hold fast and make the government release funding for creating proper teachers jobs. If they give in internships upon graduation will become the norm.

    1. Liz

      There is absolutely no way that anyone can rationalise the use of internships or jobs bridge for any profession where part of the qualification for said profession is already an internship!! All qualified teachers have paid through the nose for a post graduate level qualification and worked for free in a school for an entire year as part of that qualification. The same goes for junior doctors etc. I am wholeheartedly against jobs bridge as the level of abuse within the scheme is criminal. If there are jobs and companies are legitimately looking to fill those and trial/train staff for those jobs the companies should get three opportunities and if they haven’t given someone the job after a max of three interns they should be banned from using the scheme full stop. It is clear and irrefutable that companies are abusing people on an ongoing basis and not paying them a living wage for hard work and are being aided and abetted by the state who is actually forking out the money that allows the companies to get away with this. These are the taxes of those lucky enough to have jobs supporting slave labour! I would prefer to pay my taxes and allow people to do voluntary work where it is really needed than see big corps using people up and spitting them out.

      1. Odis

        I wholeheartedly agree. What I’m saying is that this seems a more valuable experience than shelf stacking.
        I would also take the view that some of these internships, have been specifically created to provide young people with an employment experience. And not to poach work from would be regular employees.
        I don’t think Joan Burton is the cow, that some on Broadsheet, would portray her as. Though its clearly the case that some very nasty people have abused the scheme, because they are essentially evil *****.

        1. munkifisht

          Really, it’s only valuable experience if a job comes out of it. I’d prefer to be a professional shelf stacker than unemployed anything.

  3. bisted

    …Joan might as well defend JobScam because it will be her legacy…..FG must be in awe…even the most lunatic fringe of Young FG could not have come up with such a right-wing travesty.

  4. inotherwords

    The minister writes the cheques to run the schools and pay the salaries. Tell the boards to f@#k off and re-examine their ethics and professional standards.

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