Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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132. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in recognition of the over 15,000 educational places provided by Springboard, if a new round of Springboard courses will be introduced in 2014; when a call for expressions of interest among course providers will be made; and if the criteria governing eligibility will be reviewed to assist, for example, persons on long-term social welfare schemes such as invalidity pension, to avail of the opportunity provided by Springboard. [2317/14]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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When will the new Springboard courses be introduced in 2014? When will a call for expressions of interest be made, and will there be any changes to the governing criteria?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Springboard is a specific initiative that strategically targets funding of free part-time higher education courses to enable the unemployed who have lost jobs in sectors in which employment will not return to previous levels, such as construction, to upskill or reskill in areas where there are identified labour market skills shortages or employment opportunities. That is what Springboard is specifically about, hence its name.

To be eligible for a place on a Springboard course a person must be unemployed, must be actively seeking employment and must be in receipt of one of the range of qualifying social protection payments, be signing for credits or have been previously self-employed.

A call for proposals for courses to be run under Springboard 2014 is expected to be published early next month. Details of courses subsequently selected for funding and the eligibility criteria for participation will be available on the dedicated information and applications website www.springboardcourses.ie from June 2014. It is not expected that significant changes will be made to the eligibility criteria in 2014.

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for the reply. I welcome the fact that a call will be made in February for expressions of interest and that the courses will reopen in June.

The Higher Education Authority reviewed Springboard in February 2013 with a number of feedback reports from participants. Will the small number of concerns about what is a successful course be taken into account in the criteria for 2014?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I do not have the precise detail, but it is our intention to learn from the experience of Springboard. Where there are lessons that can be applied to change the system and consequently improve it, of course we will take them on board. That is why the gap between and February and June is necessary - to see how we can make a good system better.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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We have a few minutes left because we started late. Deputy Broughan, who tabled the next question, is not here. We will go on to the following question in the name of Deputy Boyd Barrett. He is not present.