Professional Training in Dublin: The Complete Guide for Employers and Professionals

A professional training Dublin guide has to answer three different questions, because people use the phrase to mean different things. What does the level on a qualification actually tell you? Is there funded or subsidised training available through employer networks? And what does the further education and training system offer employers through SOLAS and the local Education and Training Boards? This guide introduces each question and sends you to a detailed post. Skillnet Ireland, SOLAS and the NFQ are national bodies or frameworks. Which sector or regional network, or which Education and Training Board, serves your business is something to confirm with them.

We start with qualifications, because levels and awarding bodies are the language that most other training decisions are described in. Our post on NFQ levels and QQI explains that language. This guide is general information, not advice, and it adds no facts beyond those in the three linked posts.

How to use this guide

Choose the path that matches where you are:

• You are comparing courses or checking a claim on a brochure: read the section on NFQ levels and QQI.
• You are an employer thinking about funded options for staff: read the Skillnet section, then the SOLAS and ETB section.
• You are planning a whole development budget: read all three in order, then use the steps near the end.

Funding and supports change, and several of the official pages behind these posts showed no date. So treat everything here as a map of what the pages said at the time, and confirm details with the body concerned before you commit.

Understanding qualifications: NFQ levels and QQI

The National Framework of Qualifications, or NFQ, is described by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) as a ten-level system for describing qualifications in the Irish education and training system. Our NFQ post sets out the main awards at each level, from the Level 1 to 3 certificates through to the doctoral degree at Level 10, and explains an important point from QQI's own guide: the levels are indicators of a range of standards, not fixed standards, so two courses at the same level can differ in content and difficulty.

The post also explains the five classes of award (major, minor, special purpose, supplemental and professional) and suggests, as its own reading, that the supplemental class is the one that fits learning added after a main award, such as continuing professional development. It then covers who makes awards, from QQI and the State Examinations Commission to universities and technological universities, and how awards made by professional bodies can be included on the framework through a voluntary but regulated route.

Perhaps its most practical section is the one on checking a qualification. It points to the Irish Register of Qualifications as the source QQI describes as the most reliable, and it suggests a routine, labelled as ours: ask who makes the award and at what level, search the register, and treat the word "accredited" with care by asking who accredited the course and whether that means an NFQ award or a professional body's own CPD recognition.

Who it is for: learners choosing a course, and employers or training managers who need to compare options or record the level and awarding body in a training file.

Funded networks: Skillnet Ireland

Once you know what you want to buy, the next question is often who helps pay for it. Our guide to Skillnet Ireland and employer training explains how the Skillnet Business Networks work according to Skillnet Ireland's own pages. A network is a group of private sector businesses organised by sector or region, led by a voluntary steering group of industry representatives, with a management team designing programmes around identified skills gaps.

The funding point is the one employers most often ask about, so the post is careful about it. The Skillnet page describes programmes as funded by the member companies with additional funding from Skillnet Ireland. It does not say that any programme is free, and the pages the post read gave no subsidy percentage, cap, membership fee or formal membership rule. The post's advice is to ask the network for the member price in writing and compare it with an open-market price for a similar course.

The post also explains the difference between network training for employers and Skills Connect, which is aimed at unemployed people, and offers a list of questions to ask before signing up, covering eligibility, member price, programme status, record keeping and whether the programme counts towards a professional body's CPD rules. Those questions are the author's suggestions, not Skillnet requirements.

Who it is for: employers and finance, HR or operations leads who want to know whether a sector or regional network could be a route to training for their staff.

The further education system: SOLAS and ETBs

The third route runs through the state's further education and training system. Our post on SOLAS and ETB training supports for employers explains the division of roles. SOLAS describes itself as the state agency responsible for further education and training, and works with the Education and Training Boards, which deliver education and training locally. The post reports that further education and training covers levels one to six on the National Framework of Qualifications, which links back to the first section of this guide.

The best-known employer-facing programme discussed is Skills to Advance. According to the SOLAS employer page, employers whose staff are aged 50 and over, in lower-skilled jobs or in roles experiencing significant change should contact their local ETB about subsidised training. The post stresses that the page does not set out formal eligibility criteria, subsidy levels, deadlines or start dates. It also covers the micro-qualifications page, which describes short accredited qualifications provided "at little or no cost to employers", and reminds readers that this is the page's wording and that costs for a specific programme should be confirmed with the ETB.

It includes a checklist of suggestions for employers: start with the ETB for your area, describe the group of staff you have in mind, ask about level and accreditation, ask for cost and timing in writing, and agree release time. For Dublin employers, that usually means contacting the ETB serving your area.

Who it is for: employers considering subsidised or low-cost training for existing staff, particularly in roles where the training would sit within levels one to six.

Bringing the three together

A practical approach, which is our suggestion and not a requirement of any scheme, is to move through the topics in this order:

• Define the need. Which people need which skills, and is a recognised award needed or just practical learning?
• Check the level and awarding body for any option, using the register, before you compare prices.
• Ask about funded routes. Contact the relevant Skillnet network and your local ETB, and ask each for terms in writing.
• Keep a record. Note the provider, the award, the level and the awarding body in your training records.
• Re-check before each new round. Frameworks, programmes and contact details change.

Remember too that many professional bodies set their own CPD rules separately from the framework, a point the NFQ post makes, so a qualification level is not the same as meeting a professional body's CPD requirement.

What the three posts do not tell you

None of the three posts states grant rates, subsidy amounts, course fees or formal employer eligibility thresholds, because the official pages they read did not. Several of those pages were undated. The NFQ post also notes that QQI describes the framework as under review, so fine detail may change. If a figure or condition matters to your decision, ask the body in writing and keep the reply.

Learnsignal's offices are off Baggot Street in Dublin, and we offer in-person training from there. For current details, see our CPD pages.

Frequently asked questions

Does a higher NFQ level always mean a harder or better course?

The NFQ post reports QQI as saying levels are indicators of a range of standards and that awards are matched on a best-fit basis, so the level is a guide, not a precise measure of difficulty.

Is Skillnet training free for employers?

The Skillnet post reports that the page it read describes programmes as funded by member companies with additional funding from Skillnet Ireland, and gives no rates. Ask the network for the member price.

Who do I contact about SOLAS employer supports?

The SOLAS post reports that the employer page directs employers to their local ETB, and that a contacts page lists details for each ETB. Check that page for current details.

Are these schemes different in Dublin?

Skillnet Ireland and SOLAS are national bodies. Which sector or regional network, or which ETB, serves your business is something to confirm with them.

How do I check that a course leads to a recognised award?

The NFQ post suggests asking the provider who makes the award and at what level, then checking the Irish Register of Qualifications.

Start with the qualification question, then explore funded routes, and use the three linked posts for the detail behind each step.