SOLAS and ETB Training Supports: What Irish Employers Can Look Up

SOLAS ETB training supports for employers in Ireland are mainly accessed through your local Education and Training Board (ETB), with SOLAS acting as the national state agency for further education and training. The best-known employer-facing programme on the SOLAS site is Skills to Advance. This guide explains who does what, what the official pages say employers can look up, and what the pages do not say, so you know what to ask before you plan around any support.

Further education and training (FET) is only one part of an employer's development toolkit. For professional, CPD-led learning, see our overview of CPD training for Dublin finance professionals. For safety training duties that sit alongside this, our guide to HSA mandatory training requirements is a useful companion.

Who SOLAS is and what it manages

The SOLAS "About" page describes SOLAS as "the state agency responsible for Further Education and Training (FET) in Ireland". It says SOLAS was established in 2013 under the Further Education and Training Act as an agency of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. It works with ETBs nationally and manages FET programmes with them. The page lists ETB training programmes among the FET programmes that are co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund (ESF+).

The programmes the page lists include Apprenticeships, Traineeships, Skills to Advance, eCollege and the European Globalisation Fund. SOLAS also runs Safe Pass, the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) and the Quarrying Skills Certification Scheme (QSCS), and manages the National Skills Database. The page says its work is guided by the FET Strategy 2026-2030. It does not name employers as a target audience, so employer detail has to come from the programme pages.

What an ETB is

The Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) website says 16 Education and Training Boards replaced the 33 Vocational Education Committees on 1 July 2013 and are governed by the Education and Training Boards Act 2013. It describes ETBs as statutory education authorities responsible for education and training, youth work and other statutory functions. They manage schools, further education colleges and adult and further education centres. ETBI's FET page says FET is delivered through the ETB network, plus other local providers and online through SOLAS's eCollege, and covers levels one to six on the National Framework of Qualifications. Apprenticeships and traineeships are listed among the pathways. The ETBI pages do not describe a specific employer role, and they do not mention employers on the FET page.

Skills to Advance: what the employer page says

The SOLAS Skills to Advance employers page says the programme can help "identify potential skills gaps in your business and adapt to market changes" and offers "subsidised upskilling and reskilling options" for staff. On who may qualify, it says that if your employees are aged 50 and over, in lower-skilled jobs, or in roles experiencing significant change, you should contact your local ETB about subsidised training. It does not set out formal eligibility criteria beyond this.

The page says the training can be scheduled around business hours, targets skills relevant to your business and responds to changes in jobs and skills, and that new training initiatives are in development. It includes a case study in which Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETB worked with a home healthcare company on a Level 6 Supervisory Management programme. We have not repeated the outcomes quoted, since they are the employer's own account. The page gives no subsidy levels, deadlines or start dates.

Micro-qualifications

A separate SOLAS page on FET micro-qualifications describes them as a new offering for businesses. It says they are short, accredited qualifications that can be stacked together, scheduled around employees' working hours, and provided "at little or no cost to employers". They were developed with industry input and are delivered locally by ETBs under Skills to Advance. The page gives no funding amounts or dates and directs employers to their local Skills to Advance representative. "Little or no cost" is the page's wording, so ask your ETB what applies to a specific programme.

Finding your local contact

The Skills to Advance contacts page says you can contact your local ETB for information on opportunities in your area, and lists a contact name, phone number, email and website for each of the 16 ETBs. The page shows no date. Contact details change, so check the page itself rather than relying on any copy.

What employers can look up: a short checklist

These are our suggestions for using the sources, not rules set by SOLAS or the ETBs:

• Start with the ETB for your area. The SOLAS pages direct employers there.
• Describe the group of staff you have in mind. The employer page mentions age 50 and over, lower-skilled jobs and roles undergoing significant change, so be ready to say how your staff fit.
• Ask about level and accreditation. FET covers levels one to six per ETBI, and the case study mentions Level 6. Professional finance qualifications may sit elsewhere.
• Ask about cost and timing in writing, because the pages give no amounts or dates.
• Check release time. Agree how training hours and any assessments fit around work, and record it in line with your own policies.

Safe Pass and related certification

If your business operates on construction sites, note that the SOLAS About page lists Safe Pass and CSCS among the schemes SOLAS runs. We have not opened the Safe Pass pages themselves, so check who needs a card, how long it lasts and how to renew with SOLAS directly.

What these pages do not tell you

None of the pages we read stated grant rates, subsidy amounts, course fees or formal employer eligibility thresholds. The Skills to Advance employers page, micro-qualifications page and contacts page showed no dates. Programmes change, so use the pages as a starting point and confirm details with your ETB. For a Dublin employer, that usually means contacting the ETB serving your area.

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

What is the difference between SOLAS and an ETB?

SOLAS describes itself as the state agency responsible for further education and training, while ETBs are statutory bodies that deliver education and training locally. SOLAS works with ETBs, and the SOLAS About page lists ETB training programmes among the programmes co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund (ESF+).

How can an employer access Skills to Advance?

The SOLAS employer page says to contact your local ETB. The Skills to Advance contacts page lists contact details for each of the 16 ETBs.

Who is Skills to Advance aimed at?

The page says employers with staff aged 50 and over, in lower-skilled jobs, or in roles experiencing significant change should contact their ETB about subsidised training. It does not give formal eligibility criteria.

How much does ETB training cost employers?

The SOLAS pages we read give no amounts. The micro-qualifications page says they are provided at little or no cost to employers, so ask your ETB about the specific programme.

SOLAS ETB training supports for employers start with a conversation with your local ETB, so go with a clear picture of your team and ask for costs and dates in writing.