Springboard+

Am I eligible for Springboard+?

To qualify for a free Springboard+ course you must be unemployed, be actively seeking work and available to take up work.

If you are employed, you must pay a 10% contribution towards the course fee at level 7, 8 and 9 on the NFQ. However, level 6 courses are free.

There are also residency criteria for participants not getting a social welfare payment.

Generally there are no age restrictions unless you are a qualified adult on someone else’s social welfare payment. However, you must meet the eligibility criteria for both Springboard+ and your chosen course.

At the time of starting a Springboard+ course, you must either be getting a qualifying social welfare payment or be in one of the other eligible categories listed below.

Social welfare payments:

• Jobseeker’s Benefit
• Jobseeker’s Allowance
• One-Parent Family Payment
• Disability Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Farm Assist/Fish Assist
• Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension
• Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension
• Blind Pension
• Deserted Wife’s Allowance

You can also apply for Springboard+ if:

• You are a qualified adult of working age (under 66) on someone else’s social welfare payment
• You are signing for social insurance credits

Employment support schemes

You are also eligible for Springboard+ (with approval from a Department of Social Protection case officer) if you are on one of the following schemes or payments:

• Community Employment
• Rural Social Scheme
• Tús
• Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
• Short-Term Enterprise Allowance.

ICT skills conversion courses

A person who is getting Jobseekers Benefit or Jobseekers Allowance for at least 9 of the previous 12 months may get a Back to Education Allowance while participating on a one-year, full-time ICT skills conversion course. If you have transferred to another payment from the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment (PUP), time spent on PUP will meet the 9 month requirement.

You are not eligible for a 2-year part-time ICT conversion courses if you are getting a jobseeker’s payment (including Farm Assist) or you are a qualified adult of working age on someone else’s social welfare payment.

Returners (homemakers)

You are eligible for Springboard+, if you have been out of the work environment due to childcare or other caring obligations and require upskilling or reskilling to get back to the workforce.

To qualify you must meet the residency criteria and one of the following requirements:

• You are on home or other caring duties for 9 of the previous 12 months or
• You are economically dependent on a partner or spouse and have been unemployed for 9 of the previous 12 months

You must provide supporting documentation and swear a declaration before a Commissioner for Oaths about your status.

Self-employed people

You are eligible for Springboard+, if you were formerly self-employed but are now unemployed and actively seeking work. You don’t need to be getting a social welfare payment.

You must meet the residency criteria and provide a letter or statement from Revenue stating that you are no longer trading (or a similar letter from your former accountant).

Recent graduates

One-year full-time and 2-year part-time ICT skills conversion courses are open to recent graduates.

However, to participate on a NFQ level 9 (post-graduate) course, a period of at least one year must have elapsed since completing a full-time undergraduate degree course leading to a major award at level 8 on the NFQ.