Is it time for the controversial JobBridge internship scheme to be wound up? The Department of Social Protection announced earlier this week it was to commission an external review of the programme with a final report to be published early next year.

Given the economic environment has changed since the scheme was introduced and given the fact that JobBridge continues to make the headlines for all the wrong reasons, it might be a relief for all concerned if the initiative were to end.

The scheme was introduced on a trial basis in 2011 for two years but has since been extended each year by the department. During its lifetime, it has become better known as a source of cheap labour than as a stepping stone to full-time employment. But is this fair? It depends.

The original target for placements was 3,000, but this grew to 8,500 last year before dropping back down to 5,258 at the end of June. More than 40,000 individuals have started a JobBridge internship since the scheme commenced, with many having mixed experiences.

According to a National Youth Council of Ireland study, published in February, the initiative has, contrary to some opinion, helped many young people gain valuable work experience and provided networking opportunities. That report showed, however, that as well as experiencing financial difficulties, participants said there was insufficient mentoring and a lack of clarity regarding intern rights and responsibilities.

The council made a number of recommendations to reform and revise the initiative, including doubling the existing top-up pay to €100 a week, restricting the scheme to host organisations and sectors where progression to employment is high and reforming the current monitoring scheme.

However, a second report, which compiled by Dr Mary Murphy of NUI Maynooth and published in April, went a bit further and called for the scheme to be dissolved, with Dr Murphy saying there was now a "real fear" it had become a "bit of a monster" with the capacity to "embed a culture of unpaid work in Ireland".

There’s no doubt that while the scheme may have helped some individuals to secure permanent employment, it has also come to be seen as something that is open to abuse.

As a result, there will be people on both sides of the fence hoping the independent review will suggest it’s time to move on from JobBridge.

*This article was amended on Thursday August 20th*