Pharma company Boston Scientific is one of more than 300 companies from various sectors offering work placements to experienced individuals and professionals as part of the Begin Again career advancement programme.
Developed by the Irish Centre for Business Excellence, Begin Again was launched last year and has already placed more than 400 unemployed people in work placements throughout Ireland.
More than 240 of these have now returned to employment, providing the Exchequer with an additional estimated €4.8m on an annualised basis.
The Begin Again programme provides participants with the opportunity to partake in a highly targeted 12-week work placement within a suitable company.
Funded by the Labour Market Activation Fund, the programme is a mix of certified training, internship and mentoring, with four central themes: employment and employability, resilience and well being, innovation and enterprise, and lifelong learning and training.
To date, 41pc of participants have obtained employment, 19pc have gained self employment or contracts, with a further 5pc re-entering the education system. A further 21pc are in workplaces with real job prospects.
“We currently have work placements available right across the country, including Dublin, Galway, Cork, Limerick and Waterford. These positions include roles in sales, marketing, office administration, IT, accounting and research,” said Mike Gaffney, spokesperson for Begin Again.
All participants taking part in the Begin Again programme must have availed of unemployment assistance from Social Welfare for a period of three months. Begin Again participants retain all of their social welfare benefits during the work placement programme.
