Job courses extend beyond unemployed

Homemakers and working people are to be eligible for free job-specific college courses previously targeted at the unemployed.

More than 35,000 people have already availed of the free courses run by third-level colleges and private providers since Springboard was first established in 2011. However, up to now, it was a requirement that applicants were unemployed or in short-time work and receiving one of a list of social welfare payments.

The only exception was for skills conversion courses for people hoping to work in information and communications technology (ICT). Such courses accounted for more than 50 out of 180 courses offered through Springboard last year.