Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Some of the training courses are available through ETB further education colleges. The course I ran was approximately €1,000 per client to fund their textbooks and examinations, which were professional examinations. In the case of beauty therapy courses, for example, while the tuition is free one could spend €1,000 or €1,100 on the equipment required. While there are excellent career opportunities at the end of those courses, at the point of entry the barriers are just a little to high. The back to education initiative, BTEI, allowances do not cover those types of costs.