Expand+The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme is an educational opportunities scheme for unemployed persons which is funded by the Department of Education and Science with assistance from the European Social Fund. The Scheme is operated through the Vo...

Hide-The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme is an educational opportunities scheme for unemployed persons which is funded by the Department of Education and Science with assistance from the European Social Fund. The Scheme is operated through the Vocational Education Committees and provides a special range of courses designed to meet the education and training needs of unemployed people.

The aims of the scheme are :

to give unemployed people education and training opportunities which will develop their employability

to prepare people to go into paid employment or on to further opportunities leading to paid employment

Expand+All VTOS applicants must be over 21 and in receipt of or a dependent of a Social Protection payment for a least 6 months before starting the course. Participation in a CE or FAS scheme counts in the calculation of six months once you must be in recei...

Hide-All VTOS applicants must be over 21 and in receipt of or a dependent of a Social Protection payment for a least 6 months before starting the course. Participation in a CE or FAS scheme counts in the calculation of six months once you must be in receipt of a relevant Social Protection payment immediately before starting the course. All applicants who present for this course will be given individual guidance by qualified tutors who are in a position to make recommendations as to what courses may suit their learning needs.

Expand+Eligibility criteria are determined by the Department of Education and Science.

To qualify for VTOS a person must:

be at least 21 years of age at the commencement of the course,

be in receipt of an unemployment payment or signing for cr...

Hide-Eligibility criteria are determined by the Department of Education and Science.

To qualify for VTOS a person must:

be at least 21 years of age at the commencement of the course,

be in receipt of an unemployment payment or signing for credits for at least 6 months*.

Also, the course must be provided or approved by the local ETB for the purposes of the VTOS scheme.

A limited number of places are available to persons in receipt of One Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension, Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance, Widow's/Widower's Contributory/Non Contributory Pension and Prisoner's Wife's Allowance and to qualified spouses/partners of persons eligible to participate in VTOS.

Periods spent on VTOS, FS training schemes, Community Employment, Job Initiative, Youthreach or time in prison can count towards the 6 month qualifying period.