6,000 Higher Education Places Announced For Jobseekers

Labour Senator Mary Moran has welcomed the announcement by Minister Ruairi Quinn that an additional 6,000 free part-time higher education places are being made available under the Springboard programme to provide re-training opportunities to jobseekers.

She said: "I am delighted to welcome the announcement today by Minister Quinn that 6,000 additional places will be available to jobseekers. The 6,000 new places on offer represent a €23 million investment by the Department of Education and Skills.

"The 200 Springboard courses will be provided at 38 Institutes of Technology, Universities and privately-run higher education colleges and will target skills that are in demand in the jobs market such as technology, languages, financial services, business start-up, and many more.

"I spoke yesterday in the Seanad on the Further Education and Training Bill 2013 on the need to recognise the emerging sectors of employment and the skills that will be needed for jobseekers to break into these new and different sectors of employment. It is fantastic to see 6,000 additional places being made available across the country to provide an opportunity to those jobseekers who want to re-train.

"The places on offer are industry-led and not educator-led. I have always been a strong supporter of a student-centred approach to education and I believe these new courses have recognised what growing industries and students are looking for.

"There have been 23 courses and 545 places offered to the Border region. Dundalk Institute of Technology will be offering 6 new courses in business in enterprise development, business in digital marketing and digital media management, writing for transmedia, science in computing, agri-food business, and food supply chain management. The courses will vary on whether they are offered on a certificate, diploma or higher diploma basis."

(CD/JP)