The Government's Work Placement Experience Programme has been labelled 'JobBridge two' by opponents.
It's claimed the scheme will displace actual job creation.
Those who take part are paid €306 by the state for 30 hours work experience a week.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy believes there are other ways to promote job creation.
"The alternative is for the state to invest in actual education, which can include on the job training, apprenticeship programmes, but where people emerge with a real qualification out of it not, not just that they put on their CV that they worked for free for six months somewhere - and to invest in actual job creation."