Learn new skills or retrain

Skills Connect is a series of free training and upskilling courses. The courses can include work placements to support you if you've lost your job. You can learn new or extra skills that will help you get a new job in the same industry, or find a new role in a new industry.

Skills Connect is delivered by Skillnet business networks. You can apply directly to the Skillnet business network that is delivering the course you're interested in.

Combine learning with family and work

The Back to Education Initiative (BTEI) provides part-time education programmes for young people and adults. It gives participants an opportunity to combine a return to learning with family, work and other responsibilities.

Search for BTEI courses.

Free online courses with eCollege

eCollege provides a range of online learning courses, available any time through broadband internet access.

Find and apply for an eCollege course.

Skills to Advance and Skills for Work courses

Skills to Advance gives subsidised upskilling and reskilling opportunities to employees in jobs going through change, and to people employed in vulnerable sectors. It aims to give you the skills to progress in your current job, or to take advantage of new job opportunities.

Skills for Work can help you deal with skill demands in the workplace. Programmes are free, 35 hours long and designed in a flexible way, to meet your needs and your employer’s.

Search and apply for Skills to Advance and Skills for Work courses.

You can also contact your local education and training board.

Improve your job opportunities with Skills to Compete courses

If you have lost your job or want to improve your skills, Skills to Compete offers free reskilling and retraining courses. These courses focus on improving your employability and ability to compete for jobs.

Search and apply for Skills to Compete courses.

You can also contact your local education and training board.

Retrofitting

There is a range of short courses to upskill in the area of retrofitting, also known as nearly-zero energy building (NZEB).

If you're already a construction worker, courses can be between one and four days. If you have limited construction experience, there are longer courses of three weeks available.

There are more than fifty programmes running across the three established NZEB Centres of Excellence operated by:

• Waterford and Wexford ETB
• Laois and Offaly ETB
• Limerick and Clare ETB

Courses are also delivered in Cork ETB and Mayo-Sligo-Leitrim ETB. More course locations are due in late 2023 and in 2024.

Find your retrofitting course on fetchcourses.ie.

Green skills courses

There are many options available across areas such as:

• construction
• agriculture
• technology
• fashion
• ecology

Many existing further education courses have been updated to include green skills modules. Search and apply for green skills courses.

You can also contact your local education and training board to find green skills courses near you.

Courses

There is a range of courses available to upskill and reskill in the area of wind energy. These include

HCI and Springboard+

The Human Capital Initiative and Springboard+ complement the core State-funded education and training system and provides free and subsidised upskilling and reskilling higher education opportunities in areas of identified skills need. Courses offered relevant to offshore wind include:

University College Cork

Offshore Wind and Ocean Energy Conversion

Postgraduate Certificate in Offshore Renewable Energy

Postgraduate Diploma in Energy Innovation for Zero Carbon

Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest

Certificate in Leadership in Offshore Renewable Energy

Dublin City University

Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Energy Systems

More information can be found here.

Apprenticeship

Kerry Education and Training Board is the coordinating provider for the Wind Turbine Maintenance Technician Programme

National Maritime College of Ireland**

The National Maritime College of Ireland offers a range of relevant courses including offshore safety training, and academic programmes in marine engineering, supply chain, and logistics. Please see Offshore and Renewable Courses

Greentech Skillnet**

Greentech Skillnet, which is co-funded by industry and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, through Skillnet Ireland, supports the workforce development needs of businesses within the renewable energy sector. It offers a range of upskilling and reskilling courses of direct relevance to offshore wind. Please see: Upskilling and reskilling courses for wind energy professionals

The post leaving certificate (PLC) programme is a full-time programme for young people who have completed their Leaving Certificate and adults returning to education.

There are almost 30,000 places on PLC courses available each year, across every county in Ireland.

PLC courses are designed to include practical and academic study, alongside work experience. The qualification can lead to employment but can also be used as a route to higher education and training. Courses usually start in September each year.

Eligibility criteria

Each PLC course will be different. Some may include education level requirements, interview processes or previous experience, for example.

Find and apply for PLC courses

Search and apply for courses, and find course requirements, via www.fetchcourses.ie, or visit the website of the further education college where the course is being delivered.

Central Applications Office (CAO)

You can apply to the Central Applications Office (CAO) for higher education courses.

The CAO processes applications for undergraduate courses in Irish higher education institutions (HEIs). HEIs decide on admissions to undergraduate courses and instruct CAO to make offers to successful candidates.

Springboard courses

The Springboard+ programme offers free and subsidised college courses at certificate, degree and masters level. These courses lead to qualifications in areas where there are employment opportunities in the economy.

There are over 8,200 places at certificate, degree and postgraduate level available for the 2023 to 2024 academic year.

The majority of courses are flexible and part-time. They are open to all applicants who meet the eligibility criteria at the time the course starts.

Human Capital Initiative

The Human Capital Initiative (HCI) offers free and subsidised graduate conversion courses at honours degree, master’s degree and postgraduate diploma levels (levels 8 and 9 on the NFQ). These courses are in skills-focused programmes designed to meet priority skills needs.

There are over 2,900 HCI Pillar 1 places available for the 2023 to 2024 academic year.

These courses are part-time and full-time, for a maximum of 18 months. They are open to all applicants who meet the eligibility criteria at the time the course starts.

Apply

Find and apply for Springboard+ or HCI courses.