Industry Related Training

Skills to Compete

In response to the need for upskilling and reskilling for people who have been displaced from their jobs SOLAS has put in place a new activation initiative - Skills to Compete. Skills to Compete combines and ramps up three strands of further education and training (FET) provision run by the Education and Training Boards (ETBs), linked to tailored advice and support:

• transversal skills development to help employability

• building the digital capabilities now required for almost every job

• specific Level 4-6 courses targeting growth sectors and occupations

Skills to Compete is delivered through ETBs and works in tandem with Intreo offices, Regional Skills Fora, and Enterprise Ireland to effectively target individuals in need and prospective employers.

Specific Skills Training Courses. The Education & Training Boards (ETBs) run a substantial number and range of training courses through its national network of training centres. These courses are run in the daytime (full time) and evenings (3 hours a week over 10 weeks). They are aimed at people who wish to acquire new skills or up-date existing skills. Courses available include business administration,

childcare, healthcare, information technology skills. The duration of full-time courses can vary, but typically last for 6 months. To apply, register with your local Department of Social Protection Employment Service office/Intreo Centre where you will receive a guidance interview to determine the most relevant training available for you. Daytime courses are prioritised for people who are unemployed. The evening courses are open to everyone. For persons not unemployed there is a fee.

Training Allowances. Persons participating in full-time ETB courses may be entitled to a training

allowance in lieu of Social Welfare payments.

For people on Jobseeker’s Benefit/Jobseeker’s Allowance/Jobseeeker’s Benefit (Self-Employed) who start an approved full-time Educational Training Board (ETB) course, their Jobseeker’s payment will stop, and they will receive a training allowance of the equivalent amount to their Jobseeker’s payment. People can also avail of an approved training course if they are signing for Credits. However, no training allowance is payable to customers signing for Credits only.

For people on Disability Allowance or Blind Person’s Pension, their Disability Allowance or Blind Person’s Pension is suspended but they will get a training allowance of the same amount. They also keep any secondary benefits, such as your medical card or travel pass.

For people on Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension they retain their Social Welfare payments but will not get a training allowance or training bonus. They must obtain approval from the Department of Social Protection before they can take part in full-time training.

People on One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) starting an approved SOLAS or Educational Training Board (ETB) course, keep their One-Parent Family Payment while they are on the course. They retain the OFP payment and apply for a student grant or apply for BTEA. They determine themselves whether it is more beneficial to transfer from the One-Parent Family Payment to the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) payment when they return to education, or to remain on their current payment and apply for a student grant.

People who declare they have a disability on registration with the Department of Social Protection will be considered a priority case for training.

To apply, you must be registered with and apply through your local Department of Social Protection Employment Services office/Intreo Centre to participate in any ETB training course where a training allowance based on your social welfare entitlement applies, where an Officer can advise you on the range of training options available to you.

Traineeship Programme

Traineeship is a programme of structured training which combines learning in an education and training setting and in the workplace. Traineeships in the further education and training sector in Ireland provide occupation-specific training delivered by Education and Training Boards (ETBs), working in partnership with employers.

There are several aspects to a Traineeship:

• They respond to an identified industry skills need.

• They lead to an award at levels 4-6 on the National Framework of Qualifications, or equivalent.

• They are between 6-20 months in duration.

• They have at least 30% of learning on-the-job.

• They combine transversal and technical skills development.

• They are designed for flexible delivery - online, face-to-face, blended learning.

• They provide open access to prospective trainees, unemployed people may be eligible for income support.

There are traineeships in engineering, ICT, hospitality, construction, retail, business and logistics, sports and leisure, fashion and beauty, and finance. New traineeships are developed on an ongoing basis in response to identified skill needs.

Trainees can be school leavers, older learners, those in employment and those who are unemployed. People who are unemployed and wish, following a meeting with their Intreo Employment Personal Adviser, to access traineeship to upskill for employment may be eligible for a training allowance or income support.

Apprenticeships Programe

Apprenticeship is a work based learning opportunity, which formally combines and alternates learning in the workplace with learning in an education and training institution. An apprenticeship prepares participants for a specific occupation and leads to an internationally recognized qualification from level 5 to level 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). Apprenticeship training is required to be substantial in depth and duration, and the apprentice must be employed under an approved Contract of Apprenticeship for the duration of training.

Apprenticeships are of no less than two years’ duration. The structure of the programme should provide for more than 50% workplace-based learning. Off-the-job training is delivered in

a number of different ways according to the apprenticeship. This ranges from remote or online learning, to one day per week in an education institution, or periods of off-the-job training in an education and training institution at further or higher education level. There are 73 national apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships are incentivised in a number of ways:

• Apprentices employed under one of the 25 craft apprenticeships are paid a training allowance by their local ETB instead of wages during their three periods of off-the-job training (Phases 2, 4 and 6 of their apprenticeship).

• Employers of apprentices under the remaining apprenticeships are eligible for an annual grant payment of €2,000 per apprentice to offset some of the costs in employing an apprentice, including the requirement to continue to pay the apprentices during off-the-job training.

• A bursary is also payable to employers of female apprentices in certain craft apprenticeships.

Apprentice vacancies are advertised through www.apprenticeship.ie. They can be accessed through the local ETB.

The statutory minimum age at which the employment of an apprentice may commence is 16 years of age. The minimum educational requirements are:

• Grade D in five subjects in the Department of Education Junior Certificate Examination or an approved equivalent, Or

• The successful completion of an approved Pre-Apprenticeship course, Or

• Three years’ work experience gained over sixteen years of age in a relevant designated industrial activity as SOLAS shall deem acceptable

• An apprentice must obtain employment with an employer approved by SOLAS. In certain crafts, apprenticeship applicants are also required to pass a colour vision test approved by SOLAS.

Additional criteria above the statutory minimum may be set by employers or the relevant apprenticeship consortium. These depend on the level of the apprenticeship qualification with, for example, a requirement to hold a 2.1 Honours degree in the case of the Principal Engineer apprenticeship. Some employers/apprenticeships also specify a minimum age of 18.

Apprentices doing training in ETBs do not pay fees. Apprentices are required to pay the

student contribution charge where their off-the-job training takes place in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for the period during which they attend the institution –

The amount of the student contribution is a proportion of the annual student contribution paid by students who are attending a full-time course in higher education and is pro-rata’d for the time spent in the third level institution. The maximum rate of the student contribution for the full academic year 2024-2025 is €3,000 – This means that payment for a 10-12 week term would be €190 in the region of €1,000. Apprentices are not eligible for the student grant.

To apply you should contact the Apprenticeship section of your local ETB, www.etb.ie or visit www.apprenticeship.ie for more information.

Access to Apprenticeship Initiative

The Access to Apprenticeship Initiative supports the transition of young people aged 16-24 years from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds into an apprenticeship scheme. Participants can access a €3,000 grant to support living costs including travel, accommodation and materials.

Traveller Apprenticeship Incentivisation Programme (TAIP) The Traveller Apprenticeship Incentivisation Programme aims to increase uptake of and retention on apprenticeships within the Traveller community. The Programme offers a bursary of €3,000 to successful applicants and a €2,000 grant to eligible employers. The Programme is administered by the Irish Traveller Movement (ITM).

Care Leavers in Apprenticeships. This is an attempt to address the barriers to accessing apprenticeships for young people leaving state care, who may have experienced disruptions to their education at primary and secondary level. It is administered by TUSLA Education Support Service (TESS).

Fáilte Ireland. Fáilte Ireland is the National Tourism Development Authority to guide and

promote the evolution of tourism as a leading indigenous component of the Irish economy. Fáilte Ireland provide a range of training courses in the hotel and hospitality sector. The courses are aimed at people who wish to enter the workforce on either a full/part-time basis in the hotel, catering, and tourism industry. Visit the training section on the www.failteireland.ie website.