What is Springboard+?

Springboard+, incorporating ICT Skills Conversion, is an exciting initiative for an increasingly knowledge-driven economy. It provides a pipeline of job-ready graduates in the currently expanding enterprise areas of information and communications technology, medical devices, biopharma-pharmachem & food, international financial services, and green construction. Springboard+ graduates are also emerging with cutting edge cross-enterprise skills such as six sigma, lean and quality systems; languages; export sales skills; and business start-up and entrepreneurship skills.

Springboard+ participants are unemployed people who lost their jobs as a result of the recession. They possess a previous history of employment, so their skill set includes a wealth of practical experience and knowledge from the workplace. Many also already have a higher education qualification but have taken the pro-active step of upskilling or cross-skilling in a growth area.

What's different about Springboard+?

Springboard+ is a highly industry-focused initiative. Springboard+ higher education providers work closely with local, regional, national and multi-national employers to ensure that course content is up-to-date, fit-for-purpose, and will prepare graduates to take up exciting new employment opportunities.

Who provides the higher education and training in areas of skills need?

All Springboard+ providers are higher education colleges with established quality assurance systems, and all awards are placed on the National Framework of Qualifications. Springboard+ providers are situated around the country and include the Irish universities, institutes of technology and private higher education colleges.

How many upskilled people is Springboard+ generating?

Over 20,000 people have participated in a Springboard+ course between 2011-2014. Some will have already gained employment in growth sectors, however a substantial proportion are now seeking an immediate return to employment equipped with relevant skills that can help to drive businesses forward.

Springboard+ graduates can contribute to the achievement of your company’s human resource objectives as they combine a track record of prior work experience with up-to-date technical and other skills that are currently in short supply across Ireland. Over 80% of Springboard+ 2015 courses include a work-placement element, in which participants can apply their learning, demonstrate their effectiveness and further enhance their job-readiness for employment in growing sectors.

Did you know also that….

JobsPlus Incentive is a new employer Incentive which encourages and rewards employers who offer employment opportunities to the long term unemployed. This Incentive will replace the Revenue Job Assist and Employer Job (PRSI) Exemption Scheme from 1st July 2013. Regular cash payments will be made to qualifying employers to offset wage costs where they engage jobseekers from the Live Register.

This incentive is designed to encourage employers and businesses to focus their recruitment efforts on those who have been out of full-time work for longer periods. The level of payment is increased for the recruitment of those out of full-time employment for more than two years.

I have employment positions available. How do I connect with Springboard+ graduates?

If you are hiring and have positions to fill you can access Springboard+ graduates via this website. To access this service you will need to register your company details. Following registration you can view details of courses and graduates, and make contact with graduates via email. There is also a facility to bookmark contact details of graduates that you are interested in.