Free part-time & conversion courses leading to real employment opportunities now recruiting: www.springboardcourses.ie
Springboard+ Course announcement and Information Seminar
City Hall, Merchants Quay, Limerick
Wednesday 27th May 7- 9pm
More than 400 Limerick people to secure well-paid, cutting edge jobs, from Mechatronics to 3-D Printing, via the HEA’s Springboard+ programme of free part-time and conversion courses.
An opportunity to:
- Meet companies actively recruiting in the Limerick region
- Talk with University of Limerick (UL) and Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) representatives and signing up for courses leading to job ready skills
- Listen to past students talking about their Springboard+ experiences
Springboard+ was set up in 2011 as part of the Government’s country-wide Jobs Initiative to help re-skill back into employment the hundreds of thousands of people who lost their jobs as a result of the recession.
Up until last year, 42 colleges throughout the country offered 812 courses to over 21,000 people as part of the scheme with Exchequer funding running to €85million. 74% of all Springboard+ participants 2011-2014 are no longer on the Live register.
In 2015, the scheme is going from strength to strength with 9,000 new course places on 285 courses at a cost of €27million to the Exchequer.
All courses are one-year or less in duration and the majority of courses are part-time. All aim to re-skill people in areas where there are job opportunities now and in the future – information and communications technology (ICT); high level manufacturing; international financial services; skills to trade internationally; entrepreneurship and business start-up, niche skills in the construction industry.
Its success can be seen in the fact that, in 2014, 52% of Springboard+ graduates were back in work within six months of completing their course some as employees and a significant number as self-employed.
Limerick launches its portfolio of courses with an Information Seminar taking place in the City Hall in Merchant’s Quay next Wednesday (27 May) from 7-9pm.
Here people will get the chance to meet companies actively recruiting in the Limerick region, to talk with University of Limerick (UL) and Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) representatives and to sign up for courses leading to job ready skills. Past students will also be on hand to talk about their Springboard+ experiences.
Maria Hinfelaar, President of LIT, said the Institute has always been proactive in responding to regional demands.
“This year we have worked with Limerick for IT and Limerick for Engineering to ensure that the courses submitted responded to industry needs,” she said.
“The continued success of our IT courses highlights the demand in this particular area.
“Emerging areas such as 3D printing, Building Information Modelling and sustainable building play to our key strengths. The majority of our courses include a work placement and all include career advice and support services. Over 60% of our students who have completed Springboard courses are no longer on the live register after 6 months – so it really does make a difference. In a recent survey of our students undertaking part-time, evening and Springboard+ programmes 90% said they would recommend LIT as a place of study to others.”
Dr Ann Ledwith, Director of Continuing & Professional Education at UL says the Limerick region is pulling together as never before.
“We are forging mutually supportive approaches in which goals have been agreed, efforts combined and results achieved. I believe Springboard+ has provided this process with momentum and the means of developing bespoke course provision in response to local industry needs. Last year we ran a Middleware Development course in collaboration with a local firm who employed almost the complete class. This year we have some very interesting new courses in Data Analytics, Mechatronics, Languages and International Finance, all with strong industry support.”
Mary-Liz Trant, Head of Skills and Enterprise Engagement at the Higher Education Authority says, “In launching the Limerick Springboard+ programme we are also reflecting the power and potential of this dynamic region when the needs of education and enterprise are being realised together,”
“Our feedback tells us that business and graduates want the same thing when it comes to skills and jobs. Springboard+ provides solutions for both because the courses produce highly-motivated graduates with the job-ready skills that employers need today.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
List of courses available at University of Limerick
- Digital Fabrication – Design and Manufacture (Certificate)
- Middleware Integration and Software Development (Higher Diploma) [ICT Skills Conversion]
- Composite Materials and Manufacturing Techniques (Certificate)
- Data Analytics and Software Development (Higher Diploma) [ICT Skills Conversion]
- International Entrepreneurship Management (Masters)
- International Financial Services (Higher Diploma)
- International Project Management (Certificate in Applied Business)
- Languages and International Business (Certificate)
- Lean Systems (Distance Education)(Specialist Diploma)
- Manufacturing and Automation (Higher Diploma)
- Mechatronics (Specialist Diploma)
- Mobile and Secure Cloud Computing (Higher Diploma) [ICT Skills Conversion]
- Production and Inventory Management (Certificate)
- Six Sigma (Distance Education)(Specialist Diploma)
- Software Development (Higher Diploma) [ICT Skills Conversion]
- Supervisory Management and Human Resources (Diploma in HRM)
- Supervisory Management and Human Resources (Higher Certificate in HRM)
- Supply Chain Management (Online) (Specialist Diploma)
List of courses available at Limerick Institute of Technology
- 3D Printing and Embedded Systems
- Building CAD (BIM) with Revit Architecture
- Certificate in Near Zero Energy Buildings
- Creative Multimedia Programming [ICT Skills Conversion]
- Enterprise Solutions Development
- Manufacturing Maintenance Systems
- Master of Science in Quantity Surveying
- Software Development [ICT Skills Con
