Five hundred new technician places at institutes of technology aimed at areas of skills shortages have been announced by the Minister for Education and Science.
The new 18-month certificate courses in computing and manufacturing technology will begin in January in partnership with a number of leading companies. They are an expansion of a programme which began last January with 300 places.
Mr Martin said yesterday that an innovative aspect of these courses would be "their accelerated nature" and their incorporation of a six-month work placement in industry.
He said they offered opportunities for adult and "second-chance" learners to "acquire third-level qualifications in key skill areas". When they are at college students would get the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs' "back to education" allowance, and during work placements they will be paid by the company involved.
The new courses, validated by the National Council for Educational Awards, aim to address skills shortages identified by the National Expert Skills Group, chaired by Dr Chris Horn, chief executive of Iona Technologies.
The nine participating institutes of technology are Athlone, Carlow, Cork, Dundalk, Galway-Mayo, Letterkenny, Sligo, Tralee and Waterford. The Tipperary Rural Business and Development Institute in Thurles is also offering the computing course.
Among the companies involved are Intel, Dell, 3Com, Gateway, Xerox (Europe), IBM, Ericssons and a number of Irish firms.