Springboard courses. Free college courses sponsored by the Irish Government

mp3ireland2 · 15-06-2021 09:03PM

IwishIknew2020 wrote: »

You are so right, much wider choice available last year.
Its disappointing. I was also hoping to do similar to yourself.

Not all the courses are up yet, Sligo IT aren't there for example.

I did a post graduate certificate in Biopharmaceutical Processing with Sligo IT/NIBRT this year, a lot more work than I thought but got results today, 80% so happy with that!
Can do another year via springboard and get a list graduate diploma but time to enjoy life for a while!

Officer Giggles · 15-06-2021 09:10PM

The course I was hoping to do didn't get funding this year, i know in previous years extra funding has been made available and new courses have been released with January start dates, hard to know whether to risk holding out or look to do a different course

onlinenerd · 16-06-2021 01:19AM

I did a level 8 last year on my own and graduated last summer. Does the past year count as a year when applying for a level 9 through springboard?

Officer Giggles · 16-06-2021 08:37AM

onlinenerd wrote: »

I did a level 8 last year on my own and graduated last summer. Does the past year count as a year when applying for a level 9 through springboard?

Was your level 8 a part time course?

I see Springboard are specific in stating you need a break of a year having completed a level 8 FULL TIME course

Nemanrio · 16-06-2021 11:36AM

Still no sign of applications being open to IT Sligo courses.

Officer Giggles · 16-06-2021 12:58PM

2021/22 courses are gone live for applications now

dinneenp · 16-06-2021 02:17PM

Nemanrio wrote: »

Still no sign of applications being open to IT Sligo courses.

same here, checked in the afternoon and they're up. One PM course I'm interested in but see it's not open to people in employment....

Proferoxa · 16-06-2021 02:26PM

dinneenp wrote: »

same here, checked in the afternoon and they're up. One PM course I'm interested in but see it's not open to people in employment....

Did you check the course details or are you just going by what it says under the course title? A lot of courses say they're not open to people in employment but when you read the application procedure it turns out they actually are.

zom · 16-06-2021 03:34PM

Any idea if more courses will be added to springboard website later? I see at least one missing that was on excel sheets?

SteelyDanJalapeno · 16-06-2021 03:36PM

I am in full time employment, but would like to do a course here, would I be eligible to any?

Officer Giggles · 16-06-2021 03:46PM

Springboard have a note up their Facebook page saying they have rectified the issue of courses not being available to employed people

onlinenerd · 16-06-2021 07:03PM

Does anybody know how long it takes to hear about the outcome of your application?

py · 16-06-2021 07:07PM

onlinenerd wrote: »

Does anybody know how long it takes to hear about the outcome of your application?

It depends from college to college. One you accept a course, all of your other applications are marked as cancelled. There tends to be deadlines from the colleges to accepting a course. You could potentially be holding out for your number 1 choice and not get offered it... Meanwhile you've delayed accepting other offers only for them to expire.

Gerrymandering reborn · 16-06-2021 07:22PM

Are they any good digital marketing courses?

Thanks

Berty · 16-06-2021 08:08PM

onlinenerd wrote: »

Does anybody know how long it takes to hear about the outcome of your application?

py wrote: »

It depends from college to college. One you accept a course, all of your other applications are marked as cancelled. There tends to be deadlines from the colleges to accepting a course. You could potentially be holding out for your number 1 choice and not get offered it... Meanwhile you've delayed accepting other offers only for them to expire.

Exactly this, the delay between courses/decisions. I was hoping and waiting on one last year in Sligo IT and the date to accept another who made an offer to me was coming up so for the risk of losing both I accepted one in AIT and was graded last week with a very pleasant grade.

Then the next course(BSc) wasn't funded by Springboard+ this year so I couldn't progress(I could If I found €2,350 obviously which I can't and won't). Today I applied for a total of 5 in various colleges/universities and all have various decision dates, heck some might just not consider me at all.

gogo · 16-06-2021 10:12PM

SteelyDanJalapeno wrote: »

I am in full time employment, but would like to do a course here, would I be eligible to any?

Your eligible to them all, but obviously working full time - won’t be able to do one full time course, lots of part time options though. If employed, springboard will cover 90% of the cost, you need to pay the remaining 10%.

FFVII · 16-06-2021 10:20PM

Be careful with sligo, last year they had ones advertised finishing in may that finished in December.

Waste of time fluff courses.

IwishIknew2020 · 16-06-2021 10:48PM

Can anyone explain the ECTS credits? Like a level 9 course but some have 45 credits, some have 60 and 90 credits.
Can you combine the credits of different courses to get a masters?
Thanks

Brian201888 · 16-06-2021 10:48PM

If you dropped out of a course last year do you have to sit this year out before you can reapply does anyone know?

Officer Giggles · 17-06-2021 12:02AM

IwishIknew2020 wrote: »

Can anyone explain the ECTS credits? Like a level 9 course but some have 45 credits, some have 60 and 90 credits.
Can you combine the credits of different courses to get a masters?
Thanks

ECTS credits are a guide to the study load of a course, with each credit the equivalent of 20-30 hours. This includes classtime, study and assignments.

A level 9 Post Grad Cert may be 60 credits whereas a Master's will usually be 90 credits as the masters requires the completion of a Thesis/Dissertation.

There may be an example I'm not familiar with but generally no you cannot add different courses together to get a master's.

Berty · 17-06-2021 06:43AM

gogo wrote: »

Your eligible to them all, but obviously working full time - won’t be able to do one full time course, lots of part time options though. If employed, springboard will cover 90% of the cost, you need to pay the remaining 10%.

Actually if it's an L6 course then Springboard cover 100% of the cost. I did an L6(part time) , passed it and paid zilch for it. Think I paid €2 in stamps to post something back to college. Others courses are 90% from L7-L9

IwishIknew2020 · 17-06-2021 10:51AM

Brian201888 wrote: »

If you dropped out of a course last year do you have to sit this year out before you can reapply does anyone know?

https://springboardcourses.ie/faq

IwishIknew2020 · 17-06-2021 10:57AM

Officer Giggles wrote: »

ECTS credits are a guide to the study load of a course, with each credit the equivalent of 20-30 hours. This includes classtime, study and assignments.

A level 9 Post Grad Cert may be 60 credits whereas a Master's will usually be 90 credits as the masters requires the completion of a Thesis/Dissertation.

There may be an example I'm not familiar with but generally no you cannot add different courses together to get a master's.

Thanks for that.

I wonder can you go by the Excel sheet for the list of courses? For eg. NUIG on the excel have around 6-8 courses this year but nothing when you just put a search in on the website, its strange.

Officer Giggles · 17-06-2021 12:10PM

IwishIknew2020 wrote: »

Thanks for that.

I wonder can you go by the Excel sheet for the list of courses? For eg. NUIG on the excel have around 6-8 courses this year but nothing when you just put a search in on the website, its strange.

The excel sheet is the definitive list of this year's courses, Springboard have issues every so often with their site, if they are missing a course your interested in you should contact them to get the issue fixed

RossieMan · 17-06-2021 12:54PM

Awful stupid question, is there any way to filter by online courses only?

Officer Giggles · 17-06-2021 01:03PM

RossieMan wrote: »

Awful stupid question, is there any way to filter by online courses only?

There's a drop-down tab "delivery method" where you can filter them

TallGlass2 · 17-06-2021 10:12PM

Any options on the LYIT - Data Centre Management course anyone?

I have no BSc at all, so I got accepted given the short time frame (1 year) it gives me a BSc in I am half tempted, so its something on the CV!

However, I am also highly interested in the Higher Diploma in Computing with Cyber Security with NCI as there is progression to a MSc with them from it

doc22 · 18-06-2021 12:32AM

TallGlass2 wrote: »

Any options on the LYIT - Data Centre Management course anyone?

I have no BSc at all, so I got accepted given the short time frame (1 year) it gives me a BSc in I am half tempted, so its something on the CV!

However, I am also highly interested in the Higher Diploma in Computing with Cyber Security with NCI as there is progression to a MSc with them from it

Early in the thread

qwertz wrote: »

I am in a course at LYIT and unfortunately the majority of lecturers have been atrocious with both quality and speed of feedback. Had I paid the full 6k for this then I’d be extremely p’d off.

doc22 · 18-06-2021 12:35AM

FFVII wrote: »

Be careful with sligo, last year they had ones advertised finishing in may that finished in December.

Waste of time fluff courses.

Lots of courses are nonsense/poor as they get the springboard money and they don't care. But they do get punished when people don't stick around.

FFVII · 18-06-2021 01:04AM

doc22 wrote: »

Lots of courses are nonsense/poor as they get the springboard money and they don't care. But they do get punished when people don't stick around.

Punished how?
Theirs some kind of weird conflict going on i think aswell.

The stupid way its run where you end up taking course you don't want cuz of dates etc...are springboard staff working in the college's and direct you to their college?

Bums in seats?

The whole thing is another rotten yoke if you ask me. Some benefit etc....good for you.

Springboard courses. Free college courses sponsored by the Irish Government

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