Springboard+ Courses 2022/23

Funding Eligibility for Springboard 

1) Residency / Nationality

To be considered eligible for a place on a Springboard+ course, you will need to:

• be living fulltime in the Republic of Ireland
• have your own, valid PPS Number
• meet the nationality/visa requirement

You are an EU/EEA/UK/Swiss national or:

You have Stamp 4/Stamp 4 EU FAM, Stamp 5, or Stamp 6 on your Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card. This includes those resident here on Stamp 4 on the basis of:

• having permission to remain in Ireland as a family member of an EU citizen or;
• having official Refugee/Subsidiary Protection status in Ireland /being here on the basis of refugee family reunification or;
• having been granted Humanitarian Leave to Remain in the State (prior to the Immigration Act 1999) or;
• having permission to remain following the Minister’s decision not to make a deportation order.
• have lived in either the EU, the EEA, the UK, Switzerland for at least 3 out of the last 5 years

If you are a Stamp 4/Stamp 4 EU FAM, Stamp 5, or Stamp 6 holder, residency is calculated from the date you first received this stamp. Any residency before this time cannot be counted.

If you have Refugee/Subsidiary Protection status in Ireland, residency is counted from the date you applied for International Protection.

Employed applicants must upload documentation proving residency

Please see example of acceptable documentation at: https://www.wit.ie/images/uploads/Education_School_PDF/Appendix_1_-_Updated_List_of_Acceptable_Documents_(Version_19_August_22).pdf

Acceptable docs include your P60 for years up to 2018 or Employment Detail Summary from 2019 onwards  /  mortgage statements if you own your home  /  tenancy or rental agreement if you are renting  /  bank statements for at least 3 months of each year showing day-to-day transactions or Direct Debits for utility bills  /  Utility Bills – Phone, Gas, Electricity  /  an employment letter from your current employer, which includes your name, address, date you commenced work, as well as current payslips.

More on proof of residence documentation: https://www.gov.ie/en/service/e2fab-requesting-proof-of-residence/

Unemployed applicants do not need to upload further documents here as your DSP payment establishes eligibility.

Returner applicants do not need to upload further documents here as this is stated in the sworn declaration 

2) Employment Status

When applying for a course through Springboard+ you will also need to apply on the basis of either being:

• Employed - working either for yourself or someone else.
• Unemployed - not currently working, receiving a qualifying welfare payment from the Department of Social Protection (unless you are formerly self-employed) and actively seeking employment.
• A Returner - a Homemaker, on other caring duties, or economically dependent on a partner/spouse for at least 9 of the last 12 months.
• A Recent Graduate - a graduate from a full-time NFQ Level 8 degree within the 12 months prior to the start of a Springboard+ course and who does not fit into one of the above categories.

Your eligibility is assessed based on your status on the date your course first starts. You will need to meet the eligibility criteria on that date. Documentary evidence of this will be requested during the course before a fee payment is made on your behalf.

Documents you will need to Upload to Prove your Employment Status

Please see example of acceptable documentation at: https://springboardcourses.ie/pdfs/ListAcceptableDocumentation.pdf

Employed people: a recent payslip showing your name, PPSN, employers name and date [ salary details etc. can be redacted if you wish ]

Jobseekers & People on other Social Welfare Payments: a recent DoSP payment receipt showing your name, PPSN and date; or a recent Bank Statement showing receipt of a different eligible DoSP payment plus a further document showing your PPSN.

Formerly Self-Employed: a letter from your accountant confirming that you are self-employed and including evidence of your PPSN such as Revenue documents. [ People in the 'Formally Self-employed' category will not typically be in receipt of a DSP payment ].

Returners: a Springboard Returners Declaration Form signed by you and the appropriate third-party confirming that you are a returning to the workplace ( for e.g. after stepping away from formal employment to take on caring responsibilities). Please also include evidence of your PPSN - for example your Social Services Card.

 

Multiple Courses

• Participants may not enroll in more than three courses in any five-year period. They may re-engage with the Springboard+ programme after a break period of two years. This criteria will be strictly enforced.
• Participants who enrolled in more than one Springboard+ course since the inception of Springboard in 2011, and did not complete any course, are not eligible to apply. This criteria applies to all categories of applicant outlined below.
• Participants who enrolled in just one course, since the inception of Springboard+ in 2011, but did not complete, are eligible to apply.
• All applicants must meet the eligibility criteria outlined below and any additional requirements as outlined by the course provider

Recent Graduates

One-year full-time and two-year part-time ICT Skills Conversion courses are open to recent graduates. However, to participate in 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.

There is no one-year 'cooling off period' for courses funded under the Human Capital Initiative - such as the Postgraduate Diploma in Finance and Business Analytics.

2019 graduates who have been in receipt of a social welfare payment and who are eligible to move onto the BTEA and retain their benefit, do not to pay 10% of the course fee.

2020 graduates will not be eligible to retain their benefit to do a full-time course if they have not been on the payment for 9 out of the previous 12 months. These applicants have to pay 10% of the course fee and would not be able to retain any benefit for the duration of the course.

More Information

The Higher Education Authority (HEA), who run the national Springboard+ initiative, has comprehensive eligibility information at https://springboardcourses.ie/faq 

HEA also operate a Freehobe Helpline at 1800 303523

                         

Documentation Needed

Images of all of your academic certificates and transcripts. [ simply take a photo of the documents with your phone ]

These will demonstrate that your either (1) meet the academic entry requirements, or (2) they will support an application made on a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) basis.

You will upload the documents to the Springboard website as part of the application process. Where you wish to have multiple documents considered you will need to merge them into a single file.

No offers of Springboard places can or will be made without the documentaion in place.

Academic Entry Requirements 

Academic eligibility criteria for SETU Waterford Springboard+ courses are set out on each course page.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Where candidates do not currrently meet the formal academic entry requirements (set out on each course information page) they may be able to advance their application using the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) mechanism. RPL allows candidates to make a case that they do meet entry requirements through a combination of formal certified learning and learning through experience (most typically work experience). RPL applications must be made by filling out (please type) the Springboard RPL form and submitting it along with supporting documents such as academic certificates and transcripts etc.

Download SETU Waterford Springboard RPL 6  Form

English Language Competency

Applicants whose first language is not English must submit documentary evidence of competency in English. Please see Click Here for SETU Waterford’s English Language Requirements.

                         

Email Us

Email the Springboard Team at [email protected]

Springboard: Lorraine Quirke 

ICTSkills Conversion: Joan Mangan