Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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Traineeships are full-time programmes, between 6 and 20 months, offering occupation-specific training combining formal classroom training and workplace coaching. They are open to all potential participants, of all ages and backgrounds, and are free of charge to participants. Trainees may include school leavers, older learners, those in employment and those who are unemployed.

To qualify for a training allowance while pursuing a Traineeship programme, a person must have been in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. The Indecon Review of the Student Grant Scheme noted the range of student supports in the FET system, via the SUSI PLC grants for those on PLC courses and via the ETB training allowances based on a learner’s previous social welfare entitlement depending for a range of other courses, as well as the VTOS and BTEA schemes where learners retain their social welfare entitlements while pursuing certain courses. The Review recommended that consideration be giving to streamlining the system of financial supports available to students in FET and Higher Education. As a first phase of such an approach, it recommended a review and streamlining of financial supports available to FET students.

Against this background, provision is made in Budget 2024 to provide for the removal of PLC fees across the ETB sector, with effect from September 2024. This will ensure a consistency of support for learners and school leavers across the country and remove financial barriers to participation.

As noted in my Department’s options paper on the cost of higher education, published earlier this year, it is proposed to commence a review of the financial supports available to FET learners as recommended in the Indecon Review.