Subject: Minister Burton announces enhancements to Back to Education Programme for jobseekers
The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton T.D., has today announced (Thursday, 15th May 2014) a number of significant enhancements to the Back to Education Programme (BTE) which will take effect from 1st June 2014 for the forthcoming academic year.
The BTE programme is a second-chance education scheme for jobseekers, lone parents and people with disabilities who are getting certain social welfare payments. Under the programme, income support is provided to allow participants undertake a second-level or third-level course to improve their education and skills.
The enhancements now being rolled out will support the policies outlined in the Government's Pathways to Work strategy, which seeks to help 75,000 long-term unemployed people return to work by the end of 2015.
The key enhancements being introduced include:
•Applicants wishing to pursue the new Professional Master's in Education will be able to avail of the BTE programme;
•Applicants who already hold a Level 5 or 6 qualification under the National Framework of Qualifications will now be allowed to undertake further courses of study at either of these levels to further their professional/career development and their overall job prospects;
•Confirmation that applicants for the Department of Education's Springboard and Momentum initiatives in the forthcoming academic year will be supported under the BTE programme; and
•Revised application and selection processes and a stronger role for the Department in working with unemployed clients who are considering undertaking a course of study.
Minister Burton said: "The enhancements I am now introducing will ensure that the BTE programme is better equipped to help jobseekers return to work. The changes will help in particular those jobseekers with good mid-range qualifications and will help them to complement and develop these skills and qualifications to access emerging job offers."
The Department of Social Protection is providing income support under the BTE programme to nearly 25,000 jobseekers at various levels of education for the academic year 2013/14 at an estimated cost of €183 million, and plans to maintain this level of support for 2014/15.
"Economic recovery will present both opportunities and challenges to jobseekers and this will be particularly acute for those that have been longest out of the jobs market. Through a combination of supports across Government Departments, and the schemes offered by the Department of Social Protection, we want to ensure that jobseekers are equipped to meet these opportunities and challenges," the Minister added.
"While we have made good progress in tackling unemployment, which has fallen from a crisis peak of 15.1% to 11.7% now, it remains too high, and we need to constantly improve our supports and services for jobseekers seeking to improve their skills. These enhancements to the BTE programme are part of an ongoing process to ensure that jobseekers have the skills to target the new jobs being created as the economic recovery begins to pick up pace."
ENDS
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