Grad Jobs Campaign
Irish people are great at the business of Europe once they get involved. This is evidenced by the number of Irish people working in roles of high responsibility in the EU. People such as John Bell, John Bruton and Catherine Day spring to mind.
The number of Irish graduates looking to the EU for employment and career opportunities has reduced since the mid-90s. This is due to a number of factors, most importantly Ireland’s booming economy in the mid 1990s and plentiful career opportunities at home. There is a real worry that there are not enough Irish people rising through the ranks of the EU at the moment. Our focus is to ensure that Irish graduates include Brussels in their post college job search as much as our European counterparts might.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs voiced his desire for more Irish to get into the EU system at a seminar on 18 February 2010 when he said: “Since our accession in 1973, Ireland has provided many distinguished European public servants at the highest levels. Ireland and Europe have benefited from the competence and dedication of our country men and women who work in the EU. It is of the greatest importance that Irish candidates have the necessary information and support to compete effectively and take full advantage of the exciting opportunities on offer…I am firmly committed to ensuring that Ireland continues to encourage and assist young Irish people to play their part in the development of the European project.”[1]
These are great words, but we need to make them into action.
The goal of the Grad Jobs Campaign is to make Irish graduates more aware of the opportunities available for them in the EU system and for more Irish graduates to consider the EU as a place where they could fulfill their career ambitions. We also want Irish graduates, if successful in securing a place in Brussels, to integrate well into Brussels and Team Ireland.
There are a number of components to this campaign:
The Green Book
The Green Book: A very handy book if you happen to be an Irish Stagiaire in Brussels is a collaborative effort between those settling into Brussels and the team at European Movement Ireland. Updated twice a year, the book delivers highly practical and useful information for those fresh off the plane so that they can adjust to Brussels life as quickly as possible. This book is launched twice a year with a networking event known as the Brussels Connection Event held usually in April and September each year. The idea behind this event if that those who are new to Brussels get to meet with the well-seasoned Belgian residents.
We are currently working on the third edition of our Green Book, due for release in November. If you would like to get involved in the editorial team, please contact Billie at 01 662 5815 or billie(at)europeanmovement.ie
Click here to download the latest edition of our Green Book.
Publicising opportunities as they arise
All too often Irish graduates are just not aware of the opportunities out there. As part of our campaign, we publicise the opportunities as they arise via our facebook page, twitter and emails to college career offices. Join us on Facebook or Twitter to stay fully up-to-date on opportunities.
Career Talks
This Autumn, we will be running a series of career talks in universities and ITs around the country to highlight the job possibilities available in the EU. Also outlined will be the ways in which to get started, going through the many stage and intern opportunities and vital tips on what helps to get your foot in the door. If you would like more information on attending one of our talks, do get in touch.
European Movement Ireland Stagiaire Programme
European Movement Ireland runs a Stage Programme three times a year in Spring, Summer and Winter. For more information, see About us.
College of Europe Scholarship Programme
We are delighted to announce that the running of the College of Europe Scholarship programme is returning to European Movement Ireland this autumn. Historically, European Movement Ireland was the organisation that looked after the application and selection process that decided who the successful Irish applicants for this scholarship would be, but since the early noughties, this work has been done by the IIEA. Earlier this year the IIEA approached us to see if we would like to take on this programme once more, given how it fits with our other Education Programmes and we were more than happy to oblige.
Every year, the Irish Government funds a number of Irish students to study at Masters Level at the College of Europe. The programme is open to Irish students studying politics, law, economics and European studies and offers an excellent opportunity for Irish graduates who are interested in working in Europe to develop their knowledge and skills and to experience education in a truly international environment.
The application process opens in November and we will be announcing further details in mid October so make sure to sign up to our Facebook and Twitter pages and watch this space. In the meantime make sure to check out the College of Europe website www.coleurop.be and if you have any queries feel free to contact us at bruges(at)europeanmovement.ie or call the office on 01-6625815.
[1] Minister Micheal Martin, Speaking at a college seminar on 18 February 2010, www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx