Springboard+ for Employers and Providers: Who Can Deliver It

Springboard+ has a reputation as a scheme for people out of work. The funding figures say otherwise, and the difference matters both to employers deciding whether it is relevant to their staff and to training providers wondering whether they can deliver on it. Our CPD course library sets out what we offer and how it is certified.

It is mostly an upskilling scheme, not a jobseeker scheme

The Comptroller and Auditor General's audited figures for 2022 split Springboard+ into two lines. Training for people already in employment received EUR 31.05 million. Training for people seeking employment received EUR 10.39 million.

So roughly three quarters of the money went to upskilling people who already had jobs. The scheme's origins are in the response to unemployment after the financial crisis, and the public perception has not caught up with where the funding actually goes. If you manage a finance or healthcare team and assumed Springboard+ was not for your staff, that assumption is worth revisiting.

The money comes from the National Training Fund, financed by the 1% employer levy, and is administered by the Higher Education Authority rather than by SOLAS.

The structural fact that governs everything else

Springboard+ courses are delivered by higher education institutions. That single constraint explains most of what follows.

It is why course listings are organised by institution rather than by provider. It is why the awards are higher education awards rather than industry certificates. It is why the academic calendar shapes the start dates. And it is why an independent training provider cannot simply apply to deliver a Springboard+ course, however well its content fits the priority skills areas.

For an employer, the practical consequence is that you are choosing from an institutional catalogue. For a provider, it means the route in is a partnership with an institution rather than an application to the HEA.

What this means for an employer

Three things are worth knowing before pointing staff at it.

The learner applies, not the employer. Unlike a levy-reclaim scheme, Springboard+ is not an employer grant. Individuals apply for places on listed courses. Fee arrangements differ between people in employment and those seeking work, and between course levels, so check the current position on the official course listing rather than relying on a summary.

It is part-time and academic. Courses are structured for people in work, but they carry higher education assessment and academic deadlines. That is a different commitment from a short CPD course, and it is the most common reason participants withdraw.

It is not a substitute for professional CPD. A Springboard+ qualification may well count toward a professional body's CPD requirement, but the scheme is not designed around professional body cycles. If the requirement is a specific number of verifiable CPD hours before a deadline, the SOLAS and ETB supports or a Skillnet network will usually fit better.

What this means for a training provider

There is no direct provider route, so the question becomes what a partnership with an institution looks like and what an institution needs that it does not already have.

Institutions bid for Springboard+ places against priority skills areas set nationally. What they are often short of is current industry content in fast-moving areas, practitioner tutors, and the capacity to deliver flexibly online to working learners. Those are the gaps an external provider can credibly fill, as a content or delivery partner within the institution's own provision.

What an institution will not outsource is the award. The qualification is theirs, so quality assurance, assessment and academic governance stay with them. A provider entering this space is supplying into an academic framework rather than selling a course, which is a different commercial shape from a Skillnet panel or an eCollege framework appointment.

The approach, therefore, is institutional and slow. It means identifying the institutions already active in the relevant priority areas, understanding their existing provision, and proposing something specific that strengthens their next bid rather than competing with it.

How it compares with the other Irish routes

Ireland's funded-training landscape splits cleanly once you know who delivers. Springboard+ is higher education, delivered by institutions, awarding academic qualifications. Skillnet is enterprise-led, commissioned by industry networks, and open to independent providers through relationships and panels. SOLAS and the ETBs deliver further education and training, with their own accreditation expectations. The eCollege framework procures online provision centrally.

They are all funded from the same levy. The route determines who can deliver, what the learner ends up holding, and how long it takes to get in.

Frequently asked questions

Can an employer pay for a Springboard+ place for a member of staff?

Springboard+ is applied for by the individual, and fee arrangements are set by the scheme rather than negotiated with an employer. An employer can of course support someone's participation, but it is not an employer-claimed grant.

Is Springboard+ only for ICT courses?

No. Priority skills areas are set nationally and span several sectors, and they change between calls. Check the current listing rather than assuming the mix from a previous year.

Can an independent provider be approved to deliver Springboard+?

Not directly. Delivery sits with higher education institutions, so the realistic route is a content or delivery partnership with an institution that holds the provision.

Does a Springboard+ award count for professional CPD?

That depends on the professional body's rules on verifiable CPD and on the award involved. Confirm with the body before relying on it, particularly where a fixed number of structured hours is required.