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CIT offers 350 Free Education Places for Unemployed in Springboard Initiative

Published on: Monday, 30 May 2011

No loss of Benefits for those
who take up places

CIT will offer 350 places on 18 different programmes, under the Springboard initiative formally launched today, by the Minister for Education & Skills, Ruairí Quinn, TD. These programmes are specifically aimed at individuals who are unemployed and seeking new opportunities.

Applications for all programmes offered under the Springboard initiative are submitted online via the Bluebrick website. The programmes are open to individuals who have been on the live register for at least six months, either in receipt of jobseekers allowance or signing for credit. Full details regarding the programmes and eligibility criteria are available at Bluebrick.

Minister Quinn stated, “We have a very talented workforce, but the loss of employment in traditional sectors such as construction, manufacturing and retail has meant that many of these qualified and experienced people are now out of work. At the same time, we know that there are skills shortages in certain areas. By providing focused up-skilling and retraining programmes, such as those offered through Springboard, we can match those vacancies with a newly re-skilled workforce and get people back to work.”

“To make it easier to apply for these places, a single web portal for all Springboard related activities is being used – BlueBrick.ie. It will operate as a kind of mini-CAO for the Springboard courses, but without the pressure of the points system.”

Springboard, which is managed by the Higher Education Authority, will allow those who undertake the courses to retain their benefits and if they find a job, they will still be permitted and encouraged to finish their course. A total of 34 institutions in both the public and private sector will offer programmes ranging from Certificates in Digital Marketing and in Supply Chain Management to Masters in Energy Management.

Potential students will apply online through Bluebrick.ie, which is the central clearing system for part-time courses.

Chairman of the HEA, John Hennessy, added, “The higher education system has to and is playing its part in tackling the unemployment crisis. Springboard has been designed to be as user friendly as possible and the universities, institutes and colleges genuinely want to assist anybody who through upskilling, can return to work.”

The three-year Springboard initiative is designed to facilitate those who are long term unemployed to up-skill and to support them in their re-entry to the labour force. It will offer them the opportunity to access free higher education and training without affecting their right to receive welfare payments. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) manages the programme.

Welcoming the announcement CIT President, Dr Brendan Murphy, said: “CIT was delighted to be chosen to partner with the Department of Education and Skills and the HEA in the delivery of the Springboard programmes. This is a valuable service to the long-term unemployed and we have found, through our participation in other similar initiatives in recent years, that the programmes are successful in providing employment, or further study opportunities, for the individuals involved”.

CIT has 350 places on 18 courses on offer through Springboard ... for detailed information, visit Bluebrick.ie .