The high (& rising) rate of unemployment amongst new graduates is a matter for grave concern. Liam Delaney has posted eloquently here & elsewhere on the subject. Given the fiscal difficulties the government here faces there are not many easy policy options available. So innovation in policy making is more important than ever if a generation's human capital is to be prevented from obsolescence, going forward. So it is heartening to see innovative, practical, evidence-based ideas coming out of the US where similar problems prevail.
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/new_college_graduates_to_be
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On a heavier note, there has been some coverage recently about the nuanced plight of graduates on "unpaid internships".
Before Christmas in the NYT:
http://nyti.ms/bWdLaf
And just a couple of weeks ago on BBC:
http://bit.ly/95QQnX
There was also some coverage last week in the Irish Times:
http://bit.ly/cWNWDN
The BBC article discusses issues around "fairness" and "exploitation".
It would be interesting to know the following in the Irish case:
(i) How many graduates on unpaid internships decided not to or were unable to claim the dole?
(ii) How many graduates on the dole have decided not to consider an unpaid internship?
Before Christmas in Ireland, a call was made by Prof. Patrick Wall of UCD for the introduction of a graduate internship programme, where businesses can take graduates off the dole by paying them the same amount of money.
http://bit.ly/crrSsV
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