Operational Guidelines: Training Support Grant

1.1 Purpose

The Training Support Grant (TSG) is designed to fund quick access to short term training that can support individual jobseekers seeking employment (including self-employment ) to access work opportunities. The grant can be provided when an Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach has identified an immediate skills or related intervention, such as obtain or renew certification and permits that is preventing a jobseeker commencing a job offer. Courses up to and including QQI level 6 can be supported.

The scheme is not designed to substitute training and activation measures that are funded under other programmes and agencies, for example Education Training Boards.

1.2 Objective

The objective is to identify skills needs of jobseekers and provide them with financial support up to the value of €1,000 per annum assisting jobseekers to obtain work, in line with their agreed personal progression plan (PPP).

Participants on the Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) may avail of the TSG with expenditure of up to €1,000 permitted on each WPEP Placement.

1.3 Administration

Expenditure under TSG is funded through the National Training Fund (NTF) which is administered by the department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Policy in respect of the scheme and these guidelines has been developed and are administered by:

1.4 Legislative Basis

TSG is an administrative scheme approved by the Government.

The National Training Fund (NTF) was established by the National Training Fund Act, 2000, as a dedicated fund to support training and research.

In accordance with the National Training Fund Act 2000, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science may award payments from the Fund to support the training of those in employment, and those seeking employment and for the funding of research to provide information on future skills requirements of the economy subject to the consent of the Minister for Finance.

All payments from the National Training Fund are subject to the provisions of the DPER Circular 13/2014 which outlines the requirements regarding the management and accountability for grants paid from public funds.

1.5 This Version

This version of the rules and guidelines for the Training Support Grant Schemes are operational from March 2025 and supersede previous guidelines issued in respect of the scheme.

2.1 Qualifying Payments/Schemes

The primary focus of this scheme is on jobseekers and on supporting the activation policy of the department.

Qualifying Payments

Jobseeker’s Allowance (incl. Casuals, Credits only)

Jobseeker’s Benefit (incl. Casuals, JBSE, Credits only)

Jobseeker’s Transition payment

Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit (JPRB)

Blind Pension

Carer’s Allowance

Disability Allowance

Deserted Wives Allowance (DWA) / Deserted Wives Benefit (DWB)

Farm/Fish Assist (FA)

Illness Benefit for 6 months or more

Invalidity Pension

One Parent Family Payment

Qualified Adults of Jobseekers payment who are job-seeking ONLY (activation measure)

Rural Social Scheme (RSS)

TÚS

Widows/Widowers Contributory/Non-Contributory

Work Experience Placement Programme (WPEP) Note: Youth Employment Support Scheme (YESS) Scheme is no longer available, however, time spent on YESS counts towards qualifying periods.

Employment Personal Advisers may support a customer in receipt of another DSP payment (other than State Pension) that is not listed above where the customer has an identified work/activation opportunity.

2.2. International Protection Applicants

International protection applicants with permission from the Department of Justice to access the labour market may be considered for TSG funding. Circular 48/22 refers.

2.3. Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection

Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection who are in receipt of the Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection weekly payment may be considered for TSG funding.

2.4. TSG and Self-Employment

Qualifying self-employment schemes that may be considered for funding support under TSG:

• Jobseekers Benefit Self-Employed (JBSE)
• Farm/Fish Assist
• Jobseekers Allowance Self-Employed (JA Semp category)

Recipients of the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance and Short-Term Enterprise Allowance are in engaged self-employment, not seeking employment and therefore not supported for funding under TSG.

3.1 Selection Process

A Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach can approve a grant under this scheme where:

• A training need is identified that is not otherwise provided by the department directly or any other state provider (such as ETBs, Teagasc), or is not available within a reasonable length of time or at a location convenient to the jobseeker.
• The intervention identified is linked to both the activation needs of the jobseeker, employment preferences and labour market conditions.
• The intervention sought by the jobseeker forms part of the agreed personal progression plan (PPP) or action plan to enter or re-enter the labour market.
• They are satisfied that the jobseeker has provided reasonable evidence of need (i.e. a job offer or a potential job offer) or has identified a skills gap or requirement to maintain or achieve accreditation (for example, safe pass, driving licences, HACCP, security industry permits). This could include consideration of the following:

o Driving tuition for HGV/Rigid/Bus can be considered i.e. Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) under the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

o Permits or Renewals can be considered under TSG where the permit is the result of training. For example, an applicant must undertake a course to obtain a permit to spray chemical herbicide (possible requirement for a landscaping job). Driving/PSA licences are excluded.

• TSG should only be considered for courses (all modules) ideally up to 9 months, but always less than one year. Courses delivery should not be split to facilitate TSG funding. For example, where a jobseeker has completed year one of a two-year course, year two cannot be considered as a course.
• TSG funding can be considered for individuals who wish to pursue appropriate upskilling online and where all the above relevant Selection Process criteria are satisfied. In cases where there are both online and in-person course options available, the Employment Personal Advisers and Job Coaches should in the first instance explore in-person delivery. In cases where an online option is considered more appropriate for that individual customer the reasons for the decision should be documented in the customer notes.

3.2 Application Process

• All applications/referrals for support require prior approval and must be made via a Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach.
• Customer must submit a quotation from a provider. The quote should be considered by the officer to ensure that costs are in line with costs of locally available training. Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach should also consider the location of the course and distance the customer has to travel.
• Training providers will be required to submit quotations for the full amount. The Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach should advise the jobseeker of the grant amount available.
• Providers must be located in Ireland (includes Northern Ireland).
• The department does not endorse training providers. Past approval for one jobseeker to undertake training with a trainer is not an endorsement of that trainer for all future applications.
• When a training need is identified and agreed, the Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach will print the TSG Accreditation of Provider & Training (APT) form. This must be signed by the provider and the customer before it is returned.
• When the signed APT form is returned, the Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach will complete an on-screen application. The system will pre-populate the form with customer details and assign a unique reference number to each application. Other details on screen are completed by the Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach from the APT form.
• TSG details can be located under Referrals on BOMI4.

4.1 Funding

• Priority should be given to jobseekers most likely to progress to employment or jobseekers whose chances of gaining employment can be significantly improved
• A maximum amount of €1000 per annum may be made available within a 12 month period for each jobseeker, regardless of the number of courses sought/required. Note: The funds limit is capped at €1000 and where a request is made in sterling this should be noted that the final payment does not exceed the stated limit in euros (refer to appendix 1 how to apply ECB rates).
• Participants on the WPEP programme may avail of TSG of up to €1,000 on each WPEP placement where deemed necessary.
• A maximum contribution of €250 can be approved and paid for essential driver training (EDT). €250 only applies to Essential Driver Training (EDT) which refers to training course teaching and fundamental driving skills to learner car drivers(B licence).
• The Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach should enquire if the Customer has applied for funding from any other agency to undertake the training; if funding is provided from another source, only the balance of the cost should be approved and paid.
• TSG should not be combined with any other department grants or the Local Area Employment Service (LAES) grants.
• TSG is not payable with Community Employment (CE) programmes as they have access to their own training fund.
• Evening courses provided by ETBs are not covered under the Training Support Grant.
• Funding may be provided up to and including level 6 on the National Framework Qualifications (NFQ) (refer to section 5 disqualifications).
• The TSG is paid directly to the training providers after training has been completed.
• Courses should not be funded in advance for any course.
• In general if a customer satisfies the TSG criteria and a genuine work opportunity is identified, funding can be considered for TEFL type courses. Most TEFL type courses are non-QQI and there are a number of Awarding Bodies for these types of courses on the current non-NFQ list

5.1 The Training Support Grant should not be awarded for:

• Training activities where there are no job opportunities or expectation of attaining work.
• Short-term training is typically regarded as ideally 9 months but always less than one year.
• Adult education and literacy courses (on the basis that they are generally provided free of charge to jobseekers).
• Language learning programmes (except in cases where accreditation of existing language skills is required or there is evidence of a job offer).
• Any third-level programmes that lead to an award above Level 6 on the QQI. Note: The QQI (HET) Level 6 which is a two-year course is not eligible for funding.
• Continuing professional development programmes arranged/awarded by professional and/or regulatory bodies-e.g. Professional CPD programmes.
• Ancillary items are not supported under TSG, for example:

oCost of Books

oRegistration/Exam Fees

oToolkits for beauty or similar industry

oTutor fees

The Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach should obtain a breakdown of the funding requested where only the training element is supported. If the provider is saying the equipment is worth €x then that value should be subtracted from the course cost to establish the training cost. There is no scenario where TSG should be used to pay for kits of any sort.

6.1 Payment process

Payment should only be paid after the training has been completed i.e. when the customer:

• Attends the course/training, undertakes the relevant assessments and achieves certification

OR

• Does not achieve certification but the trainer confirms that the customer undertook the full assessment but did not meet the standard required.

Invoices should indicate the VAT or other TAX Reference Number of the supplier. The overall amount should be shown less any participant contribution or third party funding.

Payment entered should be the net payment due to the provider (net of any contributions).

Once the intervention has been delivered, the Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach will check the TSG Approval and Verification Form and supplier invoice against the approved TSG application and attach these to the Accreditation of Provider and Training (APT) form. An order of payment is produced and attached to the supplier invoice (original signatures only).

Providers must be located in Ireland (including Northern Ireland).

• The documentation for payment should be forwarded to:

Vote Bookeeping Payments,

Department of Social Protection,

Dundalk SWSO / Intreo Centre,

St. Alphonsus Road,

Dundalk,

Co. Louth.

A91 PP5W.

7.1 Accreditation of interventions

• Only interventions that demonstrate outcomes for jobseekers should be funded.
• Employment Personal Advisers or Job Coaches should avoid measures that are not in line with a jobseeker’s personal progression/action plan, if the plan is available.
• Courses up to and including QQI level 6 or equivalent awards within the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) can be supported and the Provider must be approved by QQI1. (Refer to disqualifications in section 5).
• Evidence that the trainer is approved by QQI (or equivalent awards body) to deliver the specific programme must be attached to the Accreditation of Provider and Training (APT) Form submitted to Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach.

7.2 Non-accredited interventions

• If the training intervention is not within the NFQ, the Employment Personal Adviser or Job Coach must provide a rationale for supporting the proposed training to their Employment Services Manager.
• Funding for non-listed NFQ programmes – The Divisional Management must be satisfied that equivalent level or industry recognitions are in place for the course before it is approved. Note: The Department does not endorse training providers. Past approval for one jobseeker to undertake training with a trainer is not an endorsement of that trainer for all future applications
• A copy of any interventions approved by divisional management must be forwarded by the Employment Services Manager to the Working Age Schemes Policy Unit, Shannon Lodge, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim N41 KD81.
• A list of non-NFQ courses,that have been approved for individual TSG applications, is maintained by the Working Age Schemes Policy unit. This list is also available to view on the team site. The operational element of this process on the BOMi system is not dealt with by the policy unit.

o1 QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) is an independent State agency responsible for promoting quality and accountability in education and training services in Ireland.

8.1 Reviews

As this is an administrative scheme, decisions cannot be appealed to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

All decisions made under this scheme can be reviewed by an officer not involved in the original decision or by a more senior officer.

9.1 Monitoring and Control

Employment Personal Advisers should ensure that funds allocated are used efficiently and appropriately as per the Guidelines.

• Follow-up by Employment Personal Advisers or Job Coaches with jobseekers should be an integral feature of the scheme. On completion of the support being provided under this grant, the Employment Personal Advisers or Job Coach should review, with the jobseeker, the effectiveness of the support provided and update the customer’s record accordingly. This feedback should form part of local reviews on the usage of the TSG support.
• Where there are on-going requests for particular training, the Division should raise this at meetings with ETBs.
• Each division should put in place arrangements for the ongoing monitoring of the support. In this context, it is important that local reviews are undertaken with providers to examine the type and availability of training that is being funded.

Each Intreo Centre should ensure that 5% of TSG payments are reviewed annually to verify all paperwork is in order

10.1 Miscellaneous

• Training Support Grant Page
• Supporting documentation and other correspondence can be located at the Working Age Schemes Policy unit team-site
• BOMi operational training guide – Section 24 TSG intervention available on Working Age Schemes Policy unit team site.
• Sign up for Activation Case Management Unit (ACMU) library page to receive updated alerts:

o Go to A to Z on Stór

o Click on Activation Case Management Unit to open the site

o Click on ‘follow’ on top right hand corner

10.2 Contacts

All customer queries should initially be addressed at the local Intreo Centre.

Policy matters that cannot be resolved should be submitted by email via the mailboxes outlined below or in writing to:

DSP employees can access the Assessment of suitability form and other correspondence at the Working Age Schemes Policy (WASP) team site.

Operational queries to: ACMSupport@welfare.ie

RSU circular 41/2017 updated on 24/02/2021 refers.

The rate published on the day before the due date of entitlement should be used for a new claim or the effective date of a revised decision in the case of a review.

Return to scheme page.