OVER 14,000 PLACES in higher education are to be made available without fees or with reduced fees to help support workers affected by Covid-19. 

Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has announced funding of €30 million to support part-time or post-graduate places.

The Government last July announced a jobs stimulus package, part of the focus of which was upskilling works affected by Covid-19 restrictions aimed at containing viral spread. 

The €30 million announced today will fund fees for almost 12,000 places on modular courses which can be done remotely or part-time in order to allow people to gain skills without taking time out of the labour market.

There will also be funding for 2,555 postgraduate places.

These will be available on 207 courses across 23 colleges and higher education institutions covering Data Analytics, Environmental Sciences, Engineering and Tourism & Hospitality.

The funding will be open to those returning to the workforce, already in employment or recent graduates, Minister Harris said this morning. 

“This is exactly the kind of initiative we need to increase Irish university capacity to extract and adapt high-demand modules from existing programmes, and develop tailored courses, to suit the needs of enterprise and lifelong learning,” said Harris.