Publication
Nurturing Skills Learner Fund
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
On 8th December, 2023 in line with commitments in Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, 2022-2028 Minister O’Gorman, announced a pilot of a new Nurturing Skills Learner Fund (NSLF). The new fund aims to assist early year’s educators to pursue early learning and care (ELC) qualifications that have been approved by the Qualifications Advisory Board (QAB) while continuing to work in the sector.
At the heart of Nurturing Skills is a vision of “a well-qualified, skilled, diverse and valued professional workforce that is centred on children’s rights, needs and potential and that provides quality experiences for children in partnership with families, and which continues to advance its professional development within a coherent and competent system.” The new pilot NSLF will play an important role in achieving this vision.
The NSLF will run as a pilot in 2024 and will make a significant contribution to course fees that early years educators face while pursuing QAB-approved ELC qualifications at levels 7 and 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications. The funding will be paid directly to the higher education institution on behalf of the early year’s educator in order to minimise the financial and administrative barrier the educator faces when seeking to undertake further studies.
Applications for the Pilot NSLF will open in May 2024, via Pobal, to early years educators who have applied, for the first time in 2024, to approved courses in NSLF eligible Higher Education Institutions (HEI), with a view to educators who are selected for the pilot receiving financial support for studies commencing in September 2024.
This new scheme will run in conjunction with the current Learner Fund scheme, which will continue to be administered by the County/City Childcare Committees. The current Learner Fund will continue to be available, with a higher level of post-award bursary contribution from 2024 (rising from €750 to €1,000), to assist those who are undertaking degrees but are not part of the pilot NSLF.
The NSLF is co-funded by the European Union through the ESF+ Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training programme (EIST) 2021-27. The NSLF is included under the Skills and Lifelong Learning strand with the aim of promoting lifelong learning, in particular flexible upskilling and reskilling opportunities for all.
The application process for the pilot NSLF for the academic year 2024/2025 is now closed.
Those wishing to make an application in May must meet the following eligibility criteria for the NSLF,
• be working with children in a Tusla-registered Early Learning and Care (ELC) or School Age Childcare (SAC) service,
• the service in which the applicant is working in, must have a current signed Core Funding contract with DCEDIY.
• Applicants must have worked within an ELC or SAC service for the six months prior to their application.
Applicants must have a current application/offer for 2024/25 entry to a Level 7/8 Degree course approved by the Qualification Advisory Board (QAB) that is eligible for NSLF. In 2024 the pilot scheme is only open to those entering an approved ELC degree programme for the first time. The list of eligible courses for the academic year 2024/2025 can be found on this website Nurturing Skills Learner Fund Institutions and Courses 2024/2025
The pilot NSLF is designed to complement and add to other Government financial supports, such as the Free Fees Initiative and SUSI grants and the scheme will make a contribution of up to 90% of course fees over the course of the degree.
Funding will be paid each year to an amount of 80% of the total cost of course fees (after discounting other governmental assistance such as Free Fees, SUSI etc..) to a maximum cap of €3,200 per year. This funding will be paid directly to the educational intuition on behalf of the successful applicants. The remaining 10% (of the overall 90% contribution) will be refunded to the applicants after completion of the course and contingent on the successful applicants remaining working in the sector for 6 months after completing. Please note it is the responsibility of successful applicants to pay the remainder of their course fees plus student levies when requested by the course provider.
As the NSLF will run in a pilot phase for 2024, funding will be limited, therefore, in this pilot phase only new students for 2024/25 will be eligible to apply. Also, where the demand for funding is greater than the supply of funding, the selection of successful applicants will be based on the following criteria in the following prioritisation order:
1. the number of graduates in the applicant’s service, with priority for applicants from services with no graduates,
2. priority index, with priority for applicants from services supporting the most disadvantaged children
3. the role of the applicant in a service, with priority for those in lead educator or manager roles.
If, after the above prioritisation has been applied and not been decisive, random selection will be applied.
The Nurturing Skills Learner Fund will open to applicants in early May, to create an account and upload employment details.
From 1st May 2024, applicants should email Pobal, at NSLF@pobal.ie to request a link to the Nurturing Skills Learner Fund Student Portal. Applicants will be required to complete a number of pre-requisite tasks prior to completing the application process.
The full application process will open in early June, with applicants being notified of a decision early July.
Pobal are administering the NSLF on behalf of the Department of Children Equality Disability Integration and Youth. All queries relating to the scheme must be addressed by email to NSLF@pobal.ie
Further updates and information regarding NSLF and the application process will be available, in due course, on the Nurturing Skills Learner Fund website at www.gov.ie/NurturingSkillsLearnerFund/
The list of eligible Nurturing Skills Learner Fund Institutions and Courses for the academic year 2024/2025 can be found Nurturing Skills Learner Fund Institutions and Courses 2024/2025
Conditions for the Nurturing Skills Learner Fund for 2024 can be found here Conditions for receipt of Nurturing Skills Learner Funds (2024/2025).
Rules for the Nurturing Skills Learner Fund for 2024 can be found here Rules for Nurturing Skills Learner Fund (2024/2025).