New one-stop shop for people who need to upskill or retrain, Minister Harris announces

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris TD has today launched a new online portal for people seeking to upskill or retrain.

The online portal – gov.ie/therightcourse – is a one stop shop for businesses, employees or unemployed persons and outlines the third level options available to them.

This can be a short part-time course, a course for an individual in employment or an option to return to third level.

Speaking today, Minister Harris said: “There are so many options out there for people but the system is complex and can overburden some people.

“This online portal offers people a clear picture of what is on offer, how they can access it and the supports available to people also.

“Ireland is a small country. We cannot afford to have untapped talent and we cannot leave any person locked out of society because of a lack of skills.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to confront many of the skills shortages we have. We must ensure our people have access to the skills they need to succeed in life; and Irish business has the people with the skills they need to grow. This is also critical to securing our recovery and ensuring Ireland’s people share in that recovery.”

The one-stop shop outlines the further education and training places and the courses in higher education on offer, and information for those on a social welfare payment.

Business owners are also encouraged to explore the range of upskilling options available from Skillnet Ireland including enterprise-led business supports, targeted upskilling opportunities for employees in businesses, free online training programmes and virtual job placements.

Minister Harris added: “If you are unemployed temporarily as a result of COVID-19, now could be the time to do a short course. You can still retain your social welfare payments while undertaking the course.

“Or if you are in employment but want to improve your skillset, there are options available to you too.

“This new portal will be a valuable tool to help each person identify the most suitable upskilling option for themselves and their teams. It will be great at showcasing the diversity of upskilling supports available from formal accredited programmes, apprenticeships to practical work-based learning from all of the agencies.

“It is never too late to learn something new and now is the perfect time to start.”