Free or subsidised college courses provide opportunities for adults to up-skill
As the economy has adjusted to the impact of Covid-19 in 2021, hundreds of thousands of people become unemployed temporarily. In late October Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris, announced that €30 million would be allocated to the Jobs Stimulus Package to help to get people back to work, upskill workers and build economic confidence. What this has meant in reality is the provision of 11,597 places on short modular courses together with 2,555 postgraduate places which are being offered in 32 higher education institutions nationally. Come courses will commence in January and many are currently being advertised by the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that will be providing them. Check their websites for course details and deadlines.
Courses are open to those returning to the workforce, those in employment and recent graduates. All participants, with the exception of returners, will contribute 10% of the course cost. Those in receipt of DSP payments, including PUP, will be eligible to undertake part-time courses free of charge. Eligible applicants must be ordinarily resident in Ireland and must meet the nationality and EU residency rules as set out on https://springboardcourses.ie/faq
Modular Courses
Modular courses are short (not more than 30 credits) and focused designed to be offered in a flexible manner to allow people to gain important skills without taking too much time away from the jobs market. Each module will be stand-alone so that participants can gain skills that are relevant and put them into practice immediately in the workplace but the modules are also accredited in such a way as to provide building blocks to a full qualification should the student so wish. The courses span across a broad range of subjects and represent a new route to lifelong learning which is flexible enough to facilitate retraining while staying closely aligned to the workplace and they will be offered in a part-time mode in either blended or online format.
Postgraduate Skills Provision
The 2,555 postgraduate places are available on courses in a wide variety of skills areas such as Data Analytics, Natural and Environmental Science, Engineering, manufacturing and construction, Tourism and Hospitality, ICT, Health and welfare including medical technology and Social and Behavioural sciences. Eligible participants must have at least a level 8 qualification or equivalent prior to being accepted onto a course and other academic requirements will be determined by individual colleges.
A complete list of courses can be found on www.hea.ie and further details on those courses can be found on the websites of the colleges and universities that are facilitating them. The initiative provides a great opportunity for people to either choose a new pathway in terms of career or to upskill or retrain in their current area of employment. While much of the impact of Covid has been devastating on employment, this investment brings a much needed boost to those who have been effected by providing the chance to adapt to the changed and changing world of work in the midst and aftermath of a global pandemic.