I think part of the problem in Ireland is the government are now touting internships as a solution to our unemployment/economic problems. In some case, they might work out where there's real training and some level of compensation. It's probably good if you can take someone with _no_ experience in a field, let them still receive their social welfare perhaps with a bonus, and after a limited period they graduate on to a real job. Unfortunately, I don't think that will happen and many companies are basically looking for free labour.

What's even more galling, from my perspective, is the government is taking money out of the pensions of private citizens to pay for this "jobs initiative".