Higher Education Authority

Springboard

WHAT IS SPRINGBOARD?

Springboard is designed to assist unemployed people who have lost their jobs to return to sustainable employment or self-employment.

Over 200 courses are available in higher education colleges around the country, at Levels 6-9 on the National Framework of Qualifications.

All Springboard courses are designed to meet current and future skills needs in Ireland. Learners can study information and communications technology (ICT); the green economy; qualifications for the bio-pharma-pharmachem sectors as well as a range of courses developing innovative business and entrepreneurship skills.

WHO IS SPRINGBOARD FOR?

The target groups that Springboard aims to support are:

Unemployed people who already hold a National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) award at Level 5 or a FETAC award at NFQ Level 6 or equivalent, with a previous history of employment in construction, manufacturing or other sectors of the economy where employment levels are unlikely to recover to pre-recession levels. While such people are likely to have good workforce skills they may have to change career to re-enter employment and may have to compete with younger, more highly qualified people for job opportunities that arise as the economy recovers
Unemployed people with a previous history of employment who already hold a higher level qualification at NFQ Levels 6 to 9, who may also require additional up-skilling or re-skilling in order to re-enter employment
Previously self-employed people at all qualifications levels who may required new qualification to return to self-employment or enter employment.

People can log on to the one-stop website www.springboardcourses.ie for comprehensive information on all Springboard programmes as well as a user-friendly system to make applications and receive course offers.