Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Seanad Éireann: - acknowledges that between May 2011 and December 2014, 21,042 people participated in Springboard courses and welcomes the recent announcement of a further round of places for 2015;

- recognises that 98% of participants would recommend Springboard courses to a family member or a friend (source: www.springboardcourses.ie);

- recognises that Springboard was introduced by this Government as a mechanism to reskill our unemployed to help them achieve gainful employment and that Springboard offers free higher education courses, leading to awards at certificate, degree and post-graduate level;

- notes with positivity that 812 courses in 42 colleges throughout the country are on offer for Springboard students;

- further notes that Springboard offers courses tailored towards emerging job markets such as ICT, high-level manufacturing, international financial services, and business and entrepreneurship start-ups;

- acknowledges that third-level institutions have played a key role in delivering the Springboard courses, and in particular, have done a lot to provide support to Springboard students;

- notes with confidence that Springboard students recognise the value of Springboard, as courses are predominately part-time and flexible, including online and distance education, mentoring, peer groups and interactive workshops, resulting in valued and recognised qualifications leading to enhanced opportunities for gainful employment;

- acknowledges the growing confidence that Springboard will lead to improved job prospects and career opportunities for its participants;

- recognises the work done by Springboard, in conjunction with the Department of Education and Skills and the third-level institutions in continuing the upward trend in female participation from 26% in 2011-2012 to 36% in 2014-2015;

- acknowledges that Springboard has played a key role in reducing the unemployment rate from 15.1% under the previous Government to 9.9% with a continued downward trend; and

- calls on the Minister for Education and Skills, in conjunction with the Department of Finance, Department of Social Protection and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, to explore ways to roll out Springboard to low paid workers, in order to encourage upward mobility in the labour market.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I know that Springboard is an initiative of the Department of Education and Skills, but the Department of Social Protection was also involved. Recently, I spoke to a former employee of the Department of Social Protection, who told me that Springboard was one of the best jobs initiatives ever introduced.

Springboard+, which incorporates the ICT skills conversion programme, is fully funded through the National Training Fund. Springboard+ complements the core State-funded education and training system. It is one of a number of special initiatives designed to support people in returning to employment and build the supply of skilled graduates for vacancies that arise across key sectors of the economy. Courses approved for funding focus on areas such as ICT, high-end manufacturing, international financial services, skills to trade internationally and entrepreneurial or business start-up skills. Work placements of three to six months are offered on almost all of the courses. The courses are highly flexible, and participants can continue with their courses throughout the summer months, when most courses close down. In addition, if one gets a job during one's course, one can continue with the course.

The profile of Springboard participants from 2011 to 2015 shows that the programme has been very successful in reaching its target cohorts. In 2014-2015, 63% of participants were aged between 25 and 39 years, and 61% had been out of work for more than a year, an increase on the 2011 figure of 58%. Data shows that participants who were long-term unemployed at the start of the course find it harder to secure employment, but now 46% of the group achieve employment or self-employment within six months of completing a Springboard course. Further, a survey of all graduates in 2011 to 2014 has indicated that within two years of completing a Springboard course as many as 60% are employed or self-employed, and 74% of Springboard participants from these years are no longer on the live register. I would also note that self-employment is a significant feature of Springboard, with 740 people, or 15% of respondents to surveys carried out between 2011 and 2014, being self-employed.

A major provider of Springboard courses is the institutes of technology. I have spoken to people who are closely associated with the provision of Springboard courses in Dundalk Institute of Technology, DkIT. In 2013-2014 there were 125 enrolments, and in 2014-2015 there were 55 enrolments. DkIT has now successfully achieved funding for 11 courses under the Government's Springboard 2015 initiative. Recently, at the launch of the national Springboard initiative in Dublin, the Minister for Education and Skills announced funding of €1.2 million and 242 places for DkIT. She said: "Now in its fifth year Springboard is playing a crucial role in rapidly responding to emerging skills needs in high-growth areas and in supporting people back into employment." I wish to note that the institutes of technology play a key role in the delivery of Springboard, so the courses are admirably matched to local needs.The courses at DkIT that will run from September 2015 are in the areas of digital marketing, hospitality operations, construction engineering, medical device software, digital animation, games design, agribusiness, and food supply chain operations. None of those courses was available when I was at school. This provision illustrates how the world is changing in terms of employment and how Springboard and the education providers are keeping up with those changes. In addition, DkIT will offer a higher diploma in computing as part of the ICT skills initiative. This aims to provide a career route into the IT sector for graduates whose primary degree is in a discipline other than computing. Members might wonder why I have spent so long talking about DkIT. I have used it merely as an example; all the institutes of technology are providing similar courses suited to local needs.

Under Springboard, participants can avail of free part-time courses leading to qualifications that are in demand among employers. Those currently in receipt of payments from the Department of Social Protection will retain their benefits and will not be liable for third level fees. Prospective students can contact the lifelong learning centre for advice and information and can apply online for courses through www.springboardscourses.ie. The target cohort in 2015 comprises jobseekers who already hold a national framework of qualifications, NFQ, award at level 5 or a FETAC award at NFQ level 6 or equivalent and have a previous history of employment in construction, manufacturing or other sectors of the economy where employment may not recover to pre-recession levels, jobseekers with a previous history of employment who already hold a higher level qualification at NFQ levels 6 to 9 and who may require additional upskilling or reskilling to re-enter employment, and previously self-employed people at all qualification levels.

I urge the Minister of State to evaluate the potential for Springboard to be extended to low-paid workers to support upward mobility in the workforce and the concept of lifelong education and training. He is doing a very good job in overseeing the establishment of the education and training boards. Perhaps consideration might be given to involving them in any extension of the eligibility criteria for the Springboard programme. I have great pleasure in commending this motion to Seanad Éireann.