The Minister for Education and Science, Batt O'Keeffe TD, today announced details of 1,000 part-time postgraduate third-level places for unemployed workers in September.

The new places will be in the country's seven universities and 13 institutes of technology across a wide range of specialist, higher diploma and graduate certificate-level programmes.

The move follows the allocation last week of 1,500 part-time undergraduate college places for jobless workers.

' These postgraduate places are part of the Government's labour market activation initiative specifically aimed at upskilling and reskilling workers for jobs in the sectors of the economy considered key to tackling the recession and driving economic growth.'

Applicants for these places won't have to pay the standard postgraduate tuition fees or student registration charge although a fee not exceeding €500 annually may be levied for some programmes.

While widespread job losses are a feature of many sectors of the economy, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs has identified areas in which there are forecasted skills shortages at graduate level. 

'So these 1,000 postgraduate places are aimed at addressing skills deficits and helping unemployed workers to develop skills for the type of high-value jobs that will be key to economic recovery,' said Minister O'Keeffe.

Unemployed workers should contact the relevant institution directly for information on individual courses and details on how to apply.

Applicants will be asked to confirm that they've a claim for a jobseeker's payment of at least six months or else to provide a copy of form RP50 confirming they're entitled to statutory redundancy from their most recent employment.

All unemployed workers will be entitled to retain their social welfare payments while on the courses which are up to two years'long.

The Higher Education Authority is funding the 1,000 postgraduate places.

Students who get a job before their course finishes won't be required to pay tuition fees for the academic year during which they re-entered the workforce.

Full details of the courses and the institutions providing them are available on the Higher Education Authority website www.hea.ie.  

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