The Jobbridge Scandal

guest2014

Xios wrote: »

Sign me up, 9 months of training for a role that a 16 year old can learn in a weekend.

I wonder will anyone be so desperate to apply?

Xios

guest2014 wrote: »

I wonder will anyone be so desperate to apply?

There will most certainly be people applying for it. Not like they'd have any other options.
Since this is in Carrick-On-Shannon, I can't imagine there being many deli places to employ low skilled labour, so any young lad looking to work full-time after finishing school won't have much of a choice.

So instead of generating 1 or 2 grand in tax and then another 1 or 2 grand in Vat from the 18k salary a full time min wage staff gets. The state is now forking out a minimum of 7,200 in cash, + what ever the hell it costs to run Jobsbridge per person.

Jobsbridge is screwing the state and screwing the unemployed.

Hermy

Xios wrote: »

Jobsbridge is screwing the state and screwing the unemployed.

This!!!

Uncle Ben

Xios wrote: »

Sign me up, 9 months of training for a role that a 16 year old can learn in a weekend.

So sad that this scheme is backed my many of the unions. Do any members raise this issue at branch meetings?

Xenji

Uncle Ben wrote: »

So sad that this scheme is backed my many of the unions. Do any members raise this issue at branch meetings?

Sure ISME and IBEC gave out literature before basically explaining the best way to exploit the scheme, although of course it had a more subtle heading.

They see the scheme as saving lots of small businesses that would of gone bust if they could not of got free labor, but could not give two damms about that free labors and treat them like cattle!

Uncle Ben

Uncle Ben wrote: »

So sad that this scheme is backed my many of the unions. Do any members raise this issue at branch meetings?

When used properly, JobBridge is great. Unfortunately "Internships" like this one take the pi** and gives a good scheme a bad name.

The_Captain

Deleted User wrote: »

When used properly, JobBridge is great. Unfortunately "Internships" like this one take the pi** and gives a good scheme a bad name.

Unpaid internships are almost always a terrible scheme. The only possible bonus is that it allows businesses to marginally increase profits in cases where hiring another staff member is unfeasible, which would allow the business to expand.


But that's really just a case of taxpayers money paying for staff so business owners and shareholders can increase their gains.

The national economic benefit of a business expanding is through job creation and giving more spending power to people.

Job Bridge actually reduces the ability of 'workers' to spend money, and takes tax money that would otherwise be spent on services (which in itself would lead to job creation)

All in all, JobBridge is awful scheme that doesn't benefit the country as a whole and doesn't benefit the unemployed.

The_Captain

The_Captain wrote: »

All in all, JobBridge is awful scheme that doesn't benefit the country as a whole and doesn't benefit the unemployed.

I beg to differ. Not ALL are bad. Having needed to gain experience in a specialised field, I went on a JobBridge scheme and was kept on. I'm not the only person I know who had a positive outcome! I would have had a negative view of JobBridge, CE schemes etc, until personal experience showed me different.

The_Captain

Deleted User wrote: »

I beg to differ. Not ALL are bad. Having needed to gain experience in a specialised field, I went on a JobBridge scheme and was kept on. I'm not the only person I know who had a positive outcome! I would have had a negative view of JobBridge, CE schemes etc, until personal experience showed me different.

If your company can afford to hire staff after a JobBridge scheme, they can afford to hire staff without a JobBridge scheme.

Basically the taxpayer funded the first 9 months of your job while you worked for a fraction of your wages

The_Captain

The_Captain wrote: »

If your company can afford to hire staff after a JobBridge scheme, they can afford to hire staff without a JobBridge scheme.

Basically the taxpayer funded the first 9 months of your job while you worked for a fraction of your wages

Not only can they afford to pay their staff, they put themselves out to offer internships to inexperienced people. Not all of these are successful! Some interns find the business isn't for them and leave after a short time, others are just so bloody awful and lazy, that I doubt they'd get a paid job anyway! All I'm saying, is that not ALL JobBridge internships are bad.

The_Captain

Deleted User wrote: »

Not only can they afford to pay their staff, they put themselves out to offer internships to inexperienced people. Not all of these are successful! Some interns find the business isn't for them and leave after a short time, others are just so bloody awful and lazy, that I doubt they'd get a paid job anyway! All I'm saying, is that not ALL JobBridge internships are bad.

Most jobs have a probation period. Mine did. If I wasn't suitable, I could have been let go at any point during that time.

Tearin It Up

132 jobbridge positions advertised today, including the usual

Deli assistant at a petrol station.

Kitchen assistant with a bit of learning to cook, probably chopping veg but also maintaining a clean kitchen.

A car wash attendant.

A pharmacy assistant that requires 2 years experience.

Call centre slave for for 40 hours per week, for 9 months.

A goods inward attendant for SuperValu. Checking stock as it arrives for 39 hours a week for 9 months.

Poultry farm assistant, 40 hours, 9 months in egg production, egg handling, quality control and packing eggs.

A laboratory technician in a school. We all know that a jobbridge is for a minimum 6 months. But this position is only for 5 months cause school ends in May.

132 new jobbridge positions today, most of them are a joke. If they took the jobbridge scheme away, that would be alot of paid jobs.

DeJa VooDoo

It's time business owners stopped exploiting people by using these schemes.
I say that as an employer who would never contemplate (even though I would be able and entitled to) using these disgusting and exploitative 'schemes'.
If employers are looking for new staff, let them hire them on 6-8 week trial period on the wage they could expect to pay.
If it doesn't work out at the end of the trial, so be it.

CramCycle

Tearin It Up wrote: »

A laboratory technician in a school. We all know that a jobbridge is for a minimum 6 months. But this position is only for 5 months cause school ends in May.

I thought RTE had a piece on this only a few months ago with the Department coming out saying that all schools were to refrain from using the scheme to plug gaps. Might be worth Tweeting or e-mailing the reporter if anyone is interested.

Tearin It Up

There was an internship last March in a dog day care centre in Galway. Guess who's looking again. March to December is 9 months. Next slave up. Only staffing their workplace.

Roquentin

anyone apply for a jobbridge and get offered like 7 or 8 months down the line. happened me. already had new plans drawn up. but was kind of funny though

Tearin It Up

132 internships advertised on Monday
137 internships advertised on Tuesday
111 internships advertised on Wednesday

It was announced today that the government has plans to create 40,000 jobs in 2015. Heard on the radio that it was skewed figures and they were right, jobs created by jobbridge etc.

The sad thing is going by the above figures and if that continues every day, they aren't very far off.

40,000 jobs ÷ 52 weeks 729 jobs per week.
Not including the weekend, 729 jobs advertised over 5 days = 153 per day.

Heard Joan Burton on UTV, we're responsible for getting Ireland back on its feet.

Well done Joan, well done.

Daenarys

I hear ya Tearin it up! When I heard that on the radio about Ireland being back to full employment by 2016 and getting down to single figure % unemployment this year, Jobbridge was the first thing into my head. I really hope we're wrong.

Xenji

Tearin It Up wrote: »

132 internships advertised on Monday
137 internships advertised on Tuesday
111 internships advertised on Wednesday

It was announced today that the government has plans to create 40,000 jobs in 2015. Heard on the radio that it was skewed figures and they were right, jobs created by jobbridge etc.

The sad thing is going by the above figures and if that continues every day, they aren't very far off.

40,000 jobs ÷ 52 weeks 729 jobs per week.
Not including the weekend, 729 jobs advertised over 5 days = 153 per day.

Heard Joan Burton on UTV, we're responsible for getting Ireland back on its feet.

Well done Joan, well done.

It's not just JobBridge, thousands of people are on other schemes as well that the social pay for, I think last year it was about 80000 and all these people are classified as being off the live register.

carzony

Xenji wrote: »

It's not just JobBridge, thousands of people are on other schemes as well that the social pay for, I think last year it was about 80000 and all these people are classified as being off the live register.

I'm in college and get the Back to Education Allowance. The amount of students recieving some kind of payment in my college this year is crazy. They either get Btea or Vtos.

most of the students seem to be getting somthing. lets see how the figures look during the summer when college and all the other courses end...

Tearin It Up

84 internships up there today. But its still only lunchtime.

I don't know, but does there seem to be alot more slaveships going nowadays?

Including a catering assistant serving refreshments and setting up a room for a conference I.e. laying out a table for the department of education. Its not going to take 9 months to learn.

A garage supervisor, does someone have to be thought how to supervise. With duties like supervising the staff, dealing with customers, operate computerised equipment. What is their mentor doing, you would think they would be the supervisor in this establishment to train this inexperienced supervisor... Free labour.

A warehouse assistant based in Letterkenny. The employer contact details with a 0044 number (0044 is Great Britian country code) and companyname.co.uk email address. Quick google company in Letterkenny and Derry, Omagh, Limavady it seems. While the Northern Irish staff gets paid, slaves here get raped. Its in a warehouse, you deal with goods, how does it take 9 months to learn.

DamagedTrax

Tearin It Up wrote: »

A warehouse assistant based in Letterkenny. The employer contact details with a 0044 number (0044 is Great Britian country code) and companyname.co.uk email address. Quick google company in Letterkenny and Derry, Omagh, Limavady it seems. While the Northern Irish staff gets paid, slaves here get raped. Its in a warehouse, you deal with goods, how does it take 9 months to learn.

ridiculous. order picking can be thought in 1 hour. a forklift cert can be attained in 1 afternoon. the admin end (for a guy on the floor), 2 weeks at most.

i used to work in warehousing. it took me only 2 years to go from an order picker to a inventory control manager. i got paid every step of the way.

Tearin It Up

DamagedTrax wrote: »

ridiculous. order picking can be thought in 1 hour. a forklift cert can be attained in 1 afternoon. the admin end (for a guy on the floor), 2 weeks at most.

i used to work in warehousing. it took me only 2 years to go from an order picker to a inventory control manager. i got paid every step of the way.

Its not the only one up there. But now Northern Ireland companies are taking advantage.

CramCycle

As a matter of interest:
1. You complete a 9 month internship
2. You receive a glowing recommendation about how you were more than capable for the job and had a great work attitude and everyone got on with you.
3. They let you go
4. The business is doing well enough to support a minimum wage worker
6. They hire another person to complete your roll through jobsbridge

Would you have grounds to take them to task over it (you certainly couldn't work there after they let you go and complained), or can the Department be brought to task for allowing this behaviour? What would be the procedure if you wished such a thing.

The_Captain

CramCycle wrote: »

As a matter of interest:
1. You complete a 9 month internship
2. You receive a glowing recommendation about how you were more than capable for the job and had a great work attitude and everyone got on with you.
3. They let you go
4. The business is doing well enough to support a minimum wage worker
6. They hire another person to complete your roll through jobsbridge

Would you have grounds to take them to task over it (you certainly couldn't work there after they let you go and complained), or can the Department be brought to task for allowing this behaviour? What would be the procedure if you wished such a thing.

They can't take someone on for the same role.

i.e If they have a guy for 9 months as sandwich maker, they can't take someone else on as a sandwich maker intern

But they can take someone on as a 'filled bread construction specialist' or something stupid.

I wonder if Labour are actually going to use JobBridge as an example of success in the next election.

CramCycle

The_Captain wrote: »

They can't take someone on for the same role.

i.e If they have a guy for 9 months as sandwich maker, they can't take someone else on as a sandwich maker intern

But they can take someone on as a 'filled bread construction specialist' or something stupid.

I wonder if Labour are actually going to use JobBridge as an example of success in the next election.

My point was if you can show its the same role (i.e. identical description like Subway were doing) is there anyone to complain too that you have the internship done, you are more than capable and get on well with the staff/management (from the reference) but they have now taken a job away from you?

The_Captain

CramCycle wrote: »

My point was if you can show its the same role (i.e. identical description like Subway were doing) is there anyone to complain too that you have the internship done, you are more than capable and get on well with the staff/management (from the reference) but they have now taken a job away from you?

They're under no obligation to hire you, even if you can prove that you can do the job better than another intern.

You can complain but I think the worst that can happen is that they'll be excluded from the scheme in future

Tony EH

The_Captain wrote: »

I wonder if Labour are actually going to use JobBridge as an example of success in the next election.

They'd be very wise not to. Labour are going to be slaughtered at the next GE anyway. But, between slavebridge and Irish Water, if they try to trump those disasters, the knives really will be out for them.

guest2014

The_Captain wrote: »

They're under no obligation to hire you, even if you can prove that you can do the job better than another intern.

You can complain but I think the worst that can happen is that they'll be excluded from the scheme in future

The above reason would be enough for me to report the company.

trixychic

I decided to take on a jobbridge internship after a few months of being unlucky in finding a job. (not enough yrs experience. Only 2-3 yrs rather than 5 that was looked for)

So i applied and finally got one. Admin internship. I have about 1 yr in that already. So i started with promise of being taken on properly within a couple of months. Grand. Started great. 2 months went by, no word of being taken on. Ok grand.

At the time i was attending counselling for a childhood assault. After the 2 months i was called in by my supervisor. She told me i was going great position still available but if i wanted it i had to drop my 1 hour a week counselling i was takin... Which was only 5mins away. I was out of work for a total of 1hr and bout 10mins once a week. I was nearing the completion of it (only another 10 or so sessions left)

Ok i said ill do that. Then everything changed. I started being asked to cover jobs that i had never been trained for when others were out sick or on holiday. Stupid jobs like things from the manager. Passports, work accom, even finances! I was a receptionist with basic training!

Then it started getting worse. The person who took me on (my supervisor) started bullying me along with many of her collegues. And the increased work load continued to pile up!

This was about 4 months in. As of yet i had taken 2 days off for a family death and 1 day booked off well in advance. But now my health started failing. I was so stressed with the whole thing i was constantly sick. Vomiting, fainting and much more! Every cough and cold i picked up. My immune system was shot with stress.

I put up with it all until 4wks before the deadline. I went to my local social welfare to see what could be done in the way of intervention or something. I was told to run for the hills! Not even to give notice. I was told in no short way to get the f out of there.

After 8 months of working there, being bullied, working stupid hours and taking on work i never had training for i got out. The relief was amazing!

I spoke to the county jobbridge supervisor who told me the majority of placements work out and i was unlucky.

I was never offered a position despite the promise, and bout a month before i left they actually hired another receptionist.

Jobbridge is a disgrace! Im now in the process of setting up my own business and thinkin of a website too. I will never go back to it again.