Irish higher education is taking the job market into their own hands, developing a program designed to create 6,000 new part-time higher education and training places for the unemployed.
The University of Limerick, University College Dublin, Dublin City University and the University College Cork have all joined forces to create opportunities for the unemployed, hoping to provide the education necessary to launch program participants into jobs.
The Springboard Initiative
Called the “Springboard Initiative,” the program was first announced in December 2010 by previous government officials. The initiative will be especially catered to the unemployed by offering access to free higher education courses and granting training while still allowing participants to receive government welfare.
Still, as the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch; the program will cost the participating universities an estimated 22 million pounds over the course of three years, 2 million pounds more than the original estimated costs.
Help for blue collar workers
Specifically, the program is targeted toward those with a history of employment in the fields of construction, manufacturing or other blue collar-level jobs that will not witness an increase in job availability once the recession ends.
Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn answered a recent parliamentary question by saying that the higher education fund program will also target individuals with a history of employment in higher level jobs that require additional skills to re-enter the workforce.
In an effort to keep up with the needs of the modern job market, technology education will be a major emphasis of the program. One-third of the universities offering courses and training on the topic, including specific courses on cloud computing at the Dublin Institute of Technology and a certificate in solar energy offered by Dundalk Institute of Technology.
Preparing for the future job market
To increase availability of such technology courses, most institutes of technology and many private colleges will offer classes on the topic, in addition to the four universities offering the bulk of the classes for the program.
Other areas of courses have been well researched and offered to increase potential for jobs: the program will also offer courses in the quickly-growing fields of green economy and food and beverage services.
Science, computing, engineering, bio-energy, sustainable plumbing and heating and food supply chain management are a few of the other specific certifications offered through the program.
Mainly offered on a year-long basis that is part-time or flexible in scheduling, the program is only available to the unemployed, those at a level five National Framework Award or those with a level six Fetac award.
The program will further promote employment by requiring that all participants continue to look for jobs while studying the courses, despite being able to receive continued government jobseeker’s benefits.
Registration information
To simplify the registration process, all courses will be listed together in a “CAO-style” format on one Web site for participants to enroll in the course of their choice, with a limit of one course per participant. Online applications can be found on Bluebrick.ie.
The initiative will be formally launched by Minister Quinn at the end of the week, according to the Irish Times.
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If you’re about to graduate this spring, you’re probably wondering how you’re going to find a job. Obviously, if you had a choice you’d like to graduate with several employment options, but sometimes things don’t work out as planned.
However that’s not to say your college degree was all for naught, or that any college diploma is worthless. Even though getting a degree is expensive in terms of time and money, you still come out ahead in the long run. Just today the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the employment numbers for March, and things are looking up, especially for college graduates. The U.S. added 216,000 jobs to the economy beating out Wall Street predictions. This is the second month of continued job growth, with unemployment dropping down from 8.9% in February to 8.8% in March. Professional and business related jobs led the way with over 78,000, followed by health care jobs with over 37,000. In most cases, these jobs required a college degree.
If this trend continues, there will be more jobs available to June college graduates than there have been in the last three years. And if that’s still not reason enough to believe in your college degree, here are four even better reasons your college diploma was worth getting.
- Lower Unemployment
- Increased Job Opportunities
- Higher Earning Potential
- Promotions More Likely
Traditionally, people with college degrees stay employed longer in a bad economy than those without degrees. In fact, in March alone the unemployment rate for people with college degrees was 4.4% compared to 9.5% for people without college degrees. That’s a huge difference! To put it in an even bigger perspective, for those who didn’t graduate from high school the unemployment rate in March was 13.7%. So as you can see, the more education you have the more you’re insulated from unemployment.
Open the newspaper (you remember what those are, right?) and look in the Want Ads. Or better yet, check Monster.com. Just about every job that pays enough to live off of requires a college degree. Some employers don’t even care what your degree is in, they just want to see that you have the dedication to get a degree. Those are the types of people employers want to hire. And even if you work in an industry that requires specific knowledge and training your career opportunities for diversity and advancement in that industry are much greater when you have a college degree (as opposed to apprenticing or working your way up without formal schooling).
According to the 2010 College Board report, in 2008 the median income of all working college graduates was $55,700, which is over $21,000 more than the median income for working people without degrees (the 2009 and 2010 statistics aren’t out yet). Benefits are better, too. In fact, in many cases employees without college degrees aren’t offered salaried jobs that include benefits. And lifetime earnings for college grads work to be about a third more than those without degrees (and twice as much as those who don’t have a high school diploma).
It’s no secret that the employees who get the promotions are typically the ones with more education, which is exactly why people who already have jobs go back to school to get masters and doctorate degrees while still working. Some companies actually pay their employees to go back to school (in terms of covering their tuition) and then automatically give them raises and/or promotions upon graduation.
So if you’re feeling a little blue because you’re about to graduate in a bad economy, cheer up! It’s not that bad (okay, it’s bad, but it could be worse). Your college degree is your best defense against unemployment. It’s not a guarantee of work, but statistically it helps you find a job and maintain a satisfying career – hopefully for many years to come!
*If you want to earn your college degree, you can view the different online schools here on classesandcareers.com.
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The National Labor College (NLC) recently announced that it will be offering three new online bachelor's degree programs geared toward union members, leaders and staff.
Officials said that they will be offering online degree programs in emergency readiness and response management, business administration, and construction management. They added that students can complete these curricula in two years for less that $10,000.
"The College is proud to add these new programs to our current offerings in labor studies and to be part of the solution to our country's current unemployment crisis," said Paula Peinovich, president of the NLC.
Officials noted that NLC students can receive college credit for work experience and apprenticeships, which can be used toward completing their degree.
The school boasts that its four-year degree in emergency readiness and response management is the only one of its kind in the U.S. Furthermore, the program is specifically designed for union members in fire services, EMS, law enforcement, public safety, homeland security. Students will study topics such as modern and domestic terrorism, as well as labor and civil liberties issues.
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