Fine Gael TD for Mayo, Deputy Michelle Mulherin, has welcomed the announcement that the Government is making 6,000 extra part-time higher education places available through the Springboard programme, which is aimed at helping jobseekers to reskill and get back to work.
Deputy Mulherin said: “These 6,000 extra places are across 200 different courses in 38 institutes of technology, universities, and other colleges across the country, including a number of courses at GMIT and IT Sligo. These courses are specifically tailored to meet the demands of the economy and include disciplines such as IT, communications, international languages, and financial services.”
The Deputy said that over the last year, “more than 2,000 jobseekers have gone back into employment after completing a Springboard course. A further 3,000 will complete courses this month.”
Dep Mulherin commented: “Crucially, Springboard is also helping those who lost their jobs during the downturn to adapt their skills to the changing needs of our new emerging economy.
“As we continue to get our economy back on track, we must ensure our graduates are equipped with the right skills to take advantage of emerging opportunities. As well as tailored course content, more than 80 per cent of Springboard courses include work placements, providing valuable experience and access to the workplace.”
The Deputy said that apart from Springboard the Government also has a range of other initiatives in place to tackle the unemployment crisis. These initiatives include “Momentum, which is providing free training and education for the long-term unemployed; the ICT conversion programme, which is a high intensity programme aimed at graduates; and JobBridge, which helps unemployed people to access the workplace through internship programmes.”
