Jobless to get €50 a week for work experience

DOLE claimants will be offered an extra €50 a week to take on work experience, under the plan to boost small businesses.

Some 5,000 places will be opened for unemployed people under a new national internship scheme. The placements will last between six to nine months at a time, within a limited two-year period. Those signing on will get the cash on top of their benefits if they take on work in the private, public and voluntary sectors.

But the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) warned that, while the scheme is welcome, it might not be enough to deter thousands of graduates from emigrating.