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Two initiatives launched to help jobseekers

Two initiatives have been launched in the last week to help jobseekers get the skills they need to get back to work. Springboard+ 2016 will provide free part time and full time places to jobseekers to upskill and retrain, while the Youth Employability Initiative will provide grants to voluntary youth services for programmes that target disadvantaged young people to improve their employability.

5,825 higher education places for jobseekers

Springboard+ 2016 is offering 180 courses, both full and part-time, in 36 educational institutions across all of the regions, which will provide reskilling and upskilling opportunities for up to 5,825 jobseekers.

Almost half the places are on ICT courses, reflecting the continuing demand for skills in this area. Skills demand for manufacturing are also significant reflecting the strong performance of this sector.

Springboard+ works with industry to identify their skills need, and is informed by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs. This group advises the Irish Government on current and future skills needs of the economy and on other labour market issues that impact on Ireland’s enterprise and employment growth, and is comprised of representatives of business, employees, education, government departments and state agencies.

Over €28.6 million has been invested in providing these 5,825 places and will equip jobseekers with new skills in sectors with good employment prospects.

To date, over €113 million has been allocated to Springboard from Exchequer funding, providing for over 33,000 places.

Full details on Springboard+ together with the eligibility criteria, are available on www.springboardcourses.ie.

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Over 1,000 young people to benefit from new Youth Employability Initiative

28 community-based youth services are to benefit under the new Youth Employability Initiative, which will help over 1,000 young people aged 15-24 from across the country.

The initiative will provide €600,000 to voluntary youth services for programmes that target disadvantaged young people to improve their employability. It targets those young people who are most at risk of unemployment and who are not in education, employment or training. It provides programmes for them to enhance their skills, including learning to learn, social and civic competence, leadership, communication, teamwork, and entrepreneurship. These ‘soft skills’ are relevant and applicable to industry and valued and sought after by employers.

A full list of the initiatives which have received funding is available on Department of Children and Youth Affairs website.