The Atypical Working Scheme (AWS) was developed by agreement between the Department of Justice and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), in order to facilitate specialised, highly-skilled employment of a short term nature (generally less than 90 days) that is not supported by current Employment Permit legislation.
AWS was introduced to provide a specialised or high skill to an industry, business or academic institution for a short period, and can be used to facilitate Paid Internships where the position is an integral component (i.e. required for graduation) of studies in an accredited institution (maximum 12 months).