CE scheme training allowance

Foweva Awone

I understand there is a training allowance of €500 per annum available for CE scheme participants; is that per calendar year, does anyone know? Just wondering should I be looking for something to use it on in the next 2 months so I don't lose my 2018 allowance, or is it per 12 month period?

Also where can I find information on the courses available? Is it only certain courses, or is any training eligible for this grant?

Thanks.

nothing

Foweva Awone wrote: »

I understand there is a training allowance of €500 per annum available for CE scheme participants; is that per calendar year, does anyone know? Just wondering should I be looking for something to use it on in the next 2 months so I don't lose my 2018 allowance, or is it per 12 month period?

Also where can I find information on the courses available? Is it only certain courses, or is any training eligible for this grant?

Thanks.

First port of call is your supervisor - they'll have all the information on what they have available to spend.

Training allowance for a scheme runs per scheme year (your current contract will have the end date on it) and you may be allocated more or less depending on whether everyone on the scheme takes up training. For example, there may be a number of participants who do not want to do any training, so their portion can cover more expensive training for those who do.

Mainly, as long as the training is QQI certified, it is likely accepted. Professional and job specific training is generally ok too. Some schemes will cover driving test/lessons if it can be justified. However they've clamped down on not-certified training in the last few years.

Hope that helps - again, speak to your supervisor, they will have the most up to date and relevant information to you.

Foweva Awone

Coming back to this again - you mentioned that other participants' budget can be used to cover more expensive training. Where I work there are a lot of CE scheme participants, and I know for a fact that most of them don't use much (if any) of their training budget. Do you have a link to say that their budget could be used towards my training - my CE supervisor says it's not possible, or that she's never heard of it at least. Just want a link to show her!

Mr.H

This is not an entitlement you lose. It is a grant that can help you become employable. Just using it so it doesnt get lost is wasting tax payers money

Foweva Awone

Mr.H wrote: »

This is not an entitlement you lose. It is a grant that can help you become employable. Just using it so it doesnt get lost is wasting tax payers money

I'm already doing an evening course and intend to do several more over the next several months, before returning to college full-time to do a Masters (which I'll be funding myself.) All of these are relevant to my current position and to my future career.

What I'm wondering is - seeing as I've used up my €500 portion of the budget - is it permissable for me to use some of the funds allocated to my colleagues on CE schemes if they're not using them.

To be honest I don't really care if you consider it to be a waste of taxpayers money; I've paid my fair share of tax over the years. I'm just wondering whether this can be done.

Gatling

Foweva Awone wrote: »

What I'm wondering is - seeing as I've used up my €500 portion of the budget - is it permissable for me to use some of the funds allocated to my colleagues on CE schemes if they're not using them.

Highly doubt the idea would even be entertained ,
That's not how funds work just because others aren't taking up the extra funds doesn't mean they are given to one person ,
Most of the money will be returned to the government if it's not allocated .

Foweva Awone

Gatling wrote: »

Highly doubt the idea would even be entertained ,
That's not how funds work just because others aren't taking up the extra funds doesn't mean they are given to one person ,
Most of the money will be returned to the government if it's not allocated .

Ok was just wondering if it was possible, as a previous poster above had suggested it was, but I couldn't find anything online to confirm this.

Mr.H

Foweva Awone wrote:

Ok was just wondering if it was possible, as a previous poster above had suggested it was, but I couldn't find anything online to confirm this.

What you could do is find out if your eligible for any free versions of the courses you are looking to do. For example before returning to college i did an autocad course with fas. That was pre training boards but im sure similar courses are available through the fetch website.

Alternatively to avoid judgey replies like mine you could contact citizens advice who are very helpful

swpb

Hi, I done a ce scheme about 6 year ago and yes i used nearly 2300 of ce training budget. If your supervisor is not aware of it ask her to check it out

Cherry Blossom

I was on a CE Scheme 2 years ago. My supervisor was prepared to pay for a course at the local IT for me at a cost of €1250. Because it was over €1000 she had to get approval from the Dept. First. It was approved but the course ended up not running so I didn't go in the end but that was nobody's fault, just one of those things.

nothing

Foweva Awone wrote: »

Ok was just wondering if it was possible, as a previous poster above had suggested it was, but I couldn't find anything online to confirm this.

I doubt you'd find anything specific relating to this online. The training budget for any given scheme is a total figure based on the number of participants and isn't specifically allocated to each one. (I am currently on a scheme myself, as admin in the office, I'm very familiar with the processes)

As schemes are monitored by different officers in DEASP, there can be some small differences between their running - I was chatting to a participant 2 weeks ago who is in the same position as I am on another scheme but with a different point of contact in DEASP and there were some differences in small things, but nothing major.

As to training, it's possible that your supervisor isn't willing to look for more funding for you, or that they don't tend to spend to the limit, be that per person or overall. It could also be that the overall budget is already allocated /spent, particularly if others are doing major awards.

The process is straightforward, the course is found, the supervisor applies through the online system giving details of it, the cost and justifying why it's needed, and the officer in DEASP either approves or denies it. There are a few steps after that for the scheme to then claim that funding, but that's irrelevant here.

I'd be wary of pushing this issue with your supervisor, they're not obliged to fund training beyond your allocation (or if it's not covered - say if it's not either qqi or professionally accredited, it may not be funded). It happens on many schemes, I'd have thought it the norm, that funding is allocated by need rather than by a strict per person amount. Still, it's not good to be seen as a troublemaker.

By all means, make your case for the need for more training, try to source it as cheaply as possible, work with your supervisor to find a solution but don't go on about how others aren't spending their allocation, particularly if you're not privy to how the budget is being spent.

Edited to add: most information for ce schemes is available if you search online for ce scheme procedures manual

A lot of older people on CE Schemes can be way over qualified for them and are on them to avoid being shoved by Intreo into something worse, avoid means testing, maintain Medical Cards and other benefits etc., including the all important PRSI contributions. People aged 62 starting a Scheme, under a pilot scheme in place for a few years, are allowed to stay on them till pension age. Most of these people were not interested in the kind of training on offer and this meant that sponsors/supervisors who were so minded could put more training money to the benefit of the younger CE Scheme participants who really needed and wanted training courses and for whom the scheme was originally intended. The SW has to approve the spending, and there are guidelines about not favouring any one participants with more than his or her fair share of training, but it is also in the interests of SW to upskill participants and get them off the register. The companies where the CE participant is placed may well be cooperative and interested in having the participant upskill and may express an interest in hiring them if they had such and such a skill. Anyone wanting to avail of the training should certainly push for more than one course. Supervisors can be lacking in training and information and sponsors can be lazy so ask and keep asking.