€20m training fund targets low-skilled and unemployed

TRAINING for work in green energy, pharmaceutical and eco-tourism is being offered for low-skilled and unemployed people through a €20 million fund targeting people whose previous qualifications are no higher than the Leaving Certificate.

The course providers are offering qualifications up to degree level for 6,589 people, almost twice the 3,500 places it was expected would be funded, with any savings potentially being invested in places on courses offered by unsuccessful tenderers later this year.

Tánaiste Mary Coughlan said three-quarters of the places are aimed at those with qualifications at or below Leaving Certificate level, with particular emphasis on under-35s and the long-term unemployed. The courses have also been chosen as suitable for former workers in the declining construction, retail and manufacturing sectors.

Labour Party education spokesperson Ruairi Quinn said, while the 6,500 places are welcome, they will only help a tiny proportion of the 400,000 people on the Live Register.

“The Government needs to focus all its energies on solving the unemployment crisis instead of bailing out the banks with taxpayer’s money. The €20 million being spent on this scheme is small change compared to the €2 billion Fianna Fáil gave Anglo Irish Bank on Monday,” he said.

His party has proposed the creation of 60,000 new training places, fast-tracking of labour-intensive capital projects and has suggested that recent graduates be given practical work experience while they receive jobseeker payments.

Ms Coughlan said the fund brings to more than 160,000 the number of places being provided by the Government this year to train and provide work experience for unemployed people. She expects the latest programme to empower jobseekers with the confidence and skills to avoid the trap of long-term unemployment by making them more employable as the economy returns to growth.

Out of 270 tenders to offer courses, 26 options are now available to choose from at a mix of state-funded and private colleges as well as businesses and industry groups. Among the emerging industries for which training can be taken are wood energy and biomass (60 places on a level 5 course with Meath Partnership) and eco-tourism, for which courses are available with Meath Partnership and JMD Consulting.

The initiative also sees a collaborative approach by education providers, such as Galway and Mayo VECs which have 320 places on programmes in tourism, energy, media and aquaculture. Career Decisions Ireland will provide 1,000 places on career guidance programmes in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Louth and the Irish Centre for Business Excellence is offering 10 four-month training programmes to 300 successful applicants.

At the top end of the scale for those with higher level qualifications, a range of programmes are offered up to Level 8 honours bachelor degrees at the institutes of technology in Carlow, Letterkenny, Limerick and Tralee, Tipperary Institute, University of Limerick’s Kemmy Business School, Carlow Institute of Technology and on Innovo Training & Development’s enterprise evolution programme.