Employment activation programme launched at IRD

DUHALLOW’S OLDER THAN AVERAGE POPULATION BRINGS CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

IRD Duhallow officially launched the Skillnet Employment Activation Programme in QQI Level 5 in Healthcare this week.

This course will run from 9.30am - 2.30pm Monday - Thursday commencing the 7th of October and running until May. This course has been made available to address a need for healthcare workers.

Louise Curtin of IRD Duhallow commented that “Duhallow has a population which is 4% older than the national average so there is increasing demand for more and more workers in the health care sector, and the Duhallow Skillnet along with its member companies have identified a real skills gap in this region”.

The course covers eight minor modules as well as a number of extra components such as Patient Moving and Handling, Fire Safety and Elder Abuse. Nuala Boyd of Teach Altra Nursing Home in Newmarket spoke at the launch, noting that health care is not a profession for everyone, but that is extremely rewarding and she encouraged anybody who is thinking of a career in healthcare to enquire about this course.

The Programme is 100% funded by Duhallow Skillnet and is free for those in receipt of a welfare payment or for those who are not in receipt of a welfare payment but meet one of the following criteria:

• Former sole traders and business owners;

• Recent graduates who are unemployed;

• Homemakers;

• Retirees seeking to return to the workplace;

• Individuals who fail to qualify for social welfare payments because of a spouse’s income;

• Individuals signing on for credits but in receipt of no social welfare payment;

• Individuals who have recently accepted redundancy payments;

• Non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals holding immigration Stamp 4.

Furthermore, as this course extends over 20 weeks, participants currently in receipt of a qualifying welfare payment for 3 months or more are eligible to apply for the Back to Education Allowance, which means that they will continue to receive payments for the duration of Photo: Sheila Fitzgerald

the course.

For further enquiries please contact IRD Duhallow on 029-60633 or email duhallowskillnet@irdduhallow.com. The application form can be found by downloading it from the IRD Duhallow website: https://www.irdduhallow. Aplication-Form.doc

Pictured at the official launch of the Health Care Support QQI Level 5 programme at IRD Duhallow are Course Tutor Mary Hartnett, Patrick Toye (Training & Quality Manager with CPL); Nuala Boyd (Teach Altra); Eileen O’Riordan (Former Participant); Helena Enright (IRD Duhallow); Louise Curtin (IRD Duhallow) and Majella Murphy (DEASP).