Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD and Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins TD have today (Monday) launched 10,158 places on 294 courses under Springboard+ 2021.
In addition 1,101 places on 1 and 2 year ICT graduate conversion courses are also on offer under the initiative. Springboard+ courses are at Level 6 (Certificate) to Level 9 (Masters) on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) and are delivered by public and private higher education providers around the country.
Minister Harris said: “As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, we will need to ensure that people have the skills they need.Programmes in Climate/Sustainability and Energy which are central to the Programme for Government are also being funded.“
Funding is allocated to Springboard+ from the National Training Fund (NTF) on an annual basis, with over €290m of funding provided since it commenced in 2011. In addition, 1,869 courses will be funded for graduates under The Human Capital Initiative (HCI). The initiative provides additional capacity across the Higher Education Sector to meet priority skill needs for enterprise. Graduate Conversion Programmes under the HCI offer incentivised places for graduates to reskill in areas of skills shortage and emerging technologies. These are being run alongside, and complementary to, the Springboard+ offerings.
Approval has already been granted for courses under HCI Pillar 1 to run for the 2021/22 academic year, as part of the approval process last year. 1,869 places will be funded on 78 courses in 2021/22.
Candidates who wish to participate in Springboard+ 2021 or HCI Pillar 1 courses will find full details on the approved courses on the dedicated information and applications website www.springboardcourses.ie .Applications will open on Wednesday 16th June, and a helpline for applicants will be available on 1800 303523.