Graduate job scheme could be scrapped

There is growing concern the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) Graduate Internship Programme (GIP) which currently provides twenty paid internships in Londonderry could be scrapped following an imminent review.

The programme run by Derry City Council’s Local Strategy Partnership (LSP) was able to place 20 graduates in paid internships for six months last year but the funding for the programme is due to run out in March.

A DEL spokesman told the Sentinel: “GIP ran as a pilot programme (26 weeks) to test the Future Jobs Fund concept in Northern Ireland.

“The programme has now ended and is currently being evaluated. The final evaluation report will be published shortly and the findings and recommendations from the report will be used to inform on the way forward for future graduate employment interventions.”

Local UNITE chair Liam Gallagher said young people in the city were faced with difficult choices with 19 graduates now chasing every job and thousands leaving the city for work.

“Students must think hard about what degrees to pursue at university,” said Mr Gallagher. “A lot of graduates are being forced to relocate outside the Northwest due to the lack of opportunities here. As it stands at the moment there are 19 graduates chasing each job that is available. On a daily basis we have 1200 people commuting from the city.”

He added: “Whereas in the past graduates would have found good jobs in law or accountancy in the North West, we are now finding that even in those fields it is extremely difficult to get those jobs in Derry and graduates are being forced to move away or else to pursue jobs outside their chosen field in call centre work or in the public sector.”

Graduates who are finding it difficult to secure employment are advised to contact the University of Ulster’s career development centre which is available to students’ up to three years after they graduate.