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+•Education: This Leaving Certificate course demands a high level of commitment from the learner and a good standard of reading, writing and maths is required. Having a Junior Certificate standard would be a definite advantage. Learners must have the ...

Hide-•Education: This Leaving Certificate course demands a high level of commitment from the learner and a good standard of reading, writing and maths is required. Having a Junior Certificate standard would be a definite advantage. Learners must have the capacity to work with others from diverse social, linguistic and cultural backgrounds; engage in critical and creative thinking and take responsibility for their own learning.

•Previous Experience: Learners access the Senior Cycle Programme immediately after the Junior Certificate Cycle. The Senior Cycle includes an optional Transition Year, which follows immediately after the Junior Cycle. Transition Year provides an opportunity for students to experience a wide range of educational inputs, including work experience. During the final two years of Senior Cycle students take one of three programmes, each leading to a State Examination: the traditional Leaving Certificate, the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) or the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA).

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

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 cre...

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

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 VEC 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.