Course funding in place from previous government

FUNDING for thousands of the 15,900 places on courses being provided for unemployed people was already allocated by the last government.

Almost 6,000 of the education and training places are in third-level colleges for people who lost their jobs in sectors hit worst by the recession.

But this Higher Education Springboard programme was unveiled last December as a €20m three-year scheme and just 2,400 of the positions are as a result of the extra €2.8m now being provided.

The number of places had not previously been announced as proposals for courses were being assessed and Education Minister Ruairi Quinn will open up applications on May 25.

The extra training places have an annual cost of €19m and will cost €11.3m this year with, €8.3m to come from the Exchequer.

The remaining €3m will come from EU funding previously set aside to help upskill former workers in firms like Dell’s Limerick plant, Waterford Crystal and SR Technics in Dublin.

The other training places under the jobs initiative are:

n6,000 Fás Specific Skills Training places from this summer, mostly in areas such as engineering, IT, management, construction and electronics.

n3,000 extra Back to Education Initiative places on part-time VEC courses, mostly aimed at those without a Leaving Certificate.

n1,000 additional places on post-Leaving Certificate courses in further education colleges, at a cost of €2m.

Mr Quinn said he is pleased they exceed the extra 15,000 training, work experience and education opportunities promised in the coalition’s Programme for Government in March.

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland said the extra 1,000 PLC places feels like a lost opportunity, given 90,000 people applied for 31,000 places last year. It also pointed out students on the courses must pay a €200 fee for the first time from next autumn. However, TUI and VECs umbrella body, the Irish Vocational Education Association, welcomed the one-third rise in numbers on the BTEI.

Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin will today announce the easing of restrictions on colleges around recruitment of privately funded personnel.