UNEMPLOYED WORKERS will have access to 2,500 new places on part-time undergraduate and postgraduate courses from September as part of Government efforts to retrain and upskill the labour force.
Unveiling the initiative yesterday, Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe said the third-level sector has a critical role to play in helping unemployed workers develop the type of skills they need to get back into the labour force.
Of the 2,500 part-time places that will be available in September, 1,500 of them will be on a range of undergraduate certificate and degree-level programmes. The remainder will be available for unemployed graduates to undertake part-time postgraduate diplomas or conversion programmes.
The initiative is specifically aimed at upskilling and reskilling for jobs in the key sectors of the economy including sectors such as medical devices, biopharmaceuticals, international financial services, the food sector and others.
All 2,500 places will be on courses that support the goals of the Government’s “smart economy” plan and particularly those relating to specific skills needs of exporting sectors identified by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs.
‘‘Part-time courses, which will be of varying duration, are more suited to the circumstances of workers who are unemployed and want to be able to re-enter the labour force as soon as possible,’’ said Minister O’Keeffe.
Workers must be unemployed for at least six months on September 1st, 2009, to be eligible for a place on the undergraduate or postgraduate programmes.
In the coming weeks, Mr O’Keeffe will announce details of the third-level institutions providing these places and how to apply for a place.
This information will be made available through Fás offices.
Other initiatives to support upskilling of unemployed people include: Part-time Preparatory Courses. Over 950 unemployed workers were offered places on a range of part-time preparatory programmes. They were run in institutes of technology around the country.
Accelerated Programmes. The institutes of technology in Athlone, Carlow, Letterkenny and Sligo are providing over 200 places on accelerated Level 6 certificate programmes.
Redundant Apprentice Certificate Programmes. Up to 550 redundant apprentices will be offered the chance to complete a programme leading to a Certificate in Construction Technology or Engineering Technology.
