Government applies to EU for €40m to retrain builders

THE Government has applied to the European Commission for €40 million in funding for a training programme for 8,800 people who have lost their jobs in the construction industry.

Tánaiste Mary Coughlan, who submitted the application for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), said that if it was successful, the money would be used to train, upskill and offer enterprise supports for the workers in order to increase their chances of obtaining employment.

While many thousands more in the industry have lost their jobs since the collapse of the construction sector, the EU fund can only assist workers made redundant over a nine-month period. In this case, it is being applied to those made redundant between July 1, 2009, and March 31, 2010, hence the figure of 8,800.