Yesterday Minister Noonan confirmed that the total will not be the anticipated €3.1 billion, but instead €2.5 billion. All this week on Newstalk Breakfast, we will be speaking to communities across Ireland who the €2.5 billion worth of tax hikes and cuts will affect.

I went out yesterday to meet graduates to see what challenges they face in starting their careers. I met with three graduates, all from different colleges and in different fields.

Padraig Houghney is the Student’s Union President in UCC. One of the biggest things he sees issue with is the lack of postgraduate funding over the past few years. Even though, people are being told to up and re-skill, funding isn’t as obtainable for those who’ve got a level 6 or 7 qualification, and that this can lead to people emigrating…

Emigration

The temptation of emigration is always on the doorstep for graduates, but what about those who decide to stick it out and try to get work in their fields?

Sara has recently finished her primary school teaching that she did in the UK. She really wanted to come home and work here so she’s just back and is trying to get as many days work as she can. She’s had to sign onto social welfare to keep her going as she looks for work. But it’s a catch-22. When you’re on social welfare, you can’t work more than two days a week if you want to keep your social welfare. This means that people end up struggling to make ends meet until they find a permanent position, which as we know, is hard to find.  

Sara told me how she relies on her parents for support in this transitionary period.

Social welfare

When you’re on social welfare it’s something you’re worried about coming off because it takes so long to get it. But what about incentives like the JobBridge scheme, designed to get people working again?  

I met with Ben Finnegan the SU President in Maynooth and I asked him about JobBridge. He said that while it helps get some people back to work it actually acts as a hindrance to graduates:

One thing that’s clear is that it’s tough enough out there for graduates entering the work force, with very little job opportunities, restricted parameters for back to work on social welfare and limited grants. As it stands, one in three graduates emigrate, but if they’re hit again, that number could well increase.

If the government wants to keep our educated young people in the country, support systems should be place to specifically help graduates in the transition from college to work. Maybe we could look at using that €0.6 billion extra towards that.

(Image: Creative Commons 2.0 via Flickr / Brunel University)