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Operational Guidelines: Training Support Grant Scheme Administration
From Department of Social Protection
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From Department of Social Protection
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The Training Support Grant (TSG) is designed to fund quick access to short term training that can support individual jobseekers seeking employment (including self-employment ) to access work opportunities. The grant can be provided when a Case Officer or Job Coach have identified an immediate skills or related intervention, such as obtain or renew certification and permits that is preventing a jobseeker commencing a job offer. Courses up to and including QQI level 6 can be supported.
The scheme is not designed to substitute training and activation measures that are funded under other programmes and agencies, i.e. Solas or EducationTrainingBoards (ETB).
The objective is to identify skills needs of jobseekers and provide them with financial support up to the value of €1,000 per annum assisting jobseekers to obtain work, in line with their agreed personal progression plan (PPP).
Participants on the Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) may be eligible to avail of TSG of up to €1000 on two occasions during a 12-month period. Note: 12-month period commences on the completion date of previous TSG intervention. This will also apply to jobseekers who are engaged with Jobpath and who go on to pursue a WPEP Placement.
Expenditure under TSG is funded through the National Training Fund (NTF).The scheme is cost neutral to the department as all expenditure is reimbursed from the NTF administered by the department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
Policy in respect of the scheme and these guidelines has been developed and are administered by:
TSG is an administrative scheme approved by the Government.
The National Training Fund (NTF) was established by the National Training Fund Act, 2000, as a dedicated fund to support training and research.
In accordance with the National Training Fund Act 2000, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science may award payments from the Fund to support the training of those in employment, and those seeking employment and for the funding of research to provide information on future skills requirements of the economy subject to the consent of the Minister for Finance.
All payments from the National Training Fund are subject to the provisions of the DPER Circular 13/2014 which outlines the requirements regarding the management and accountability for grants paid from public funds.
This version of the rules and guidelines for the Training Support Grant Schemes are operational from December 2021 and supersede previous guidelines issued in respect of the scheme.
The primary focus of this scheme is on jobseekers and on supporting the activation policy of the department.
Qualifying Payments
Jobseeker’s Allowance (incl. Casuals, Credits only) †
Jobseeker’s Benefit (incl. Casuals, JBSE, Credits only) †
Jobseeker’s Transition payment †
Blind Pension
Carer’s Allowance
Disability Allowance
Deserted Wives Allowance (DWA) / Deserted Wives Benefit (DWB)
Farm/Fish Assist (FA)
Illness Benefit for 6 months or more
Invalidity Pension
One Parent Family Payment
COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) †
Qualified Adults of Jobseekers payment who are job-seeking ONLY (activation measure)
Rural Social Scheme (RSS)
TÚS
Widows/Widowers Contributory/Non-Contributory
Work Experience Placement Programme (WPEP) Note: Youth Employment Support Scheme (YESS) Scheme is no longer available, however, time spent on YESS counts towards qualifying periods.
†Must continue to be genuinely seeking work (GSW) and available to work
Case Officers may support a customer in receipt of another DSP payment (other than State Pension) that is not listed above where the customer has an identified work/activation opportunity.
International protection applicants with permission from the Department of Justice to access the labour market may be considered for TSG funding. Circular 32/21 ‘Protection Applicants’ (PAs) and access to employment support services’ refers.
Qualifying self-employment schemes that may be considered for funding support under TSG:
Recipients of the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance and Short-Term Enterprise Allowance are in engaged self-employment, not seeking employment and therefore not supported for funding under TSG.
A Case Officer or Job Coach can approve a grant under this scheme where:
o Driving tuition for HGV/Rigid/Bus can be considered i.e. Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) under the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
o Permits or Renewals can be considered under TSG where the permit is the result of training. For example, an applicant must undertake a course to obtain a permit to spray chemical herbicide (possible requirement for a landscaping job). Driving/PSA licences are excluded.
oDouble funding – Where an ETB course is a full-time or longer term course it should be processed under the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) and therefore, TSG cannot be considered. A course for TSG cannot be approved where the training provider is already funded in the provision of that course. Many courses run through an ETB will be funded by Solas or the European Social Fund (ESF) and should not be availing of TSG as they should be free of charge for jobseekers (fee exempt normally extends to medical card holders). However, there are some courses awarded by ETB’s where there is no existing funding that may be considered under TSG. Course fees payable should be clearly visible on the course details/profile applicable to all participants of the course. Activation staff should check with the ETB if a waiver is in place for a specific course and if not, decide whether TSG funding is appropriate.
oTSG is not payable with Community Employment (CE) programmes as they have access to their own training fund.
*In general if a customer satisfies the TSG criteria and a genuine work opportunity is identified, funding can be considered for TEFL type courses. Most TEFL type courses are non-QQI and there are a number of Awarding Bodies for these types of courses on the current non-NFQ list
oCost of Books
oRegistration/Exam Fees
oToolkits for beauty or similar industry
oTutor fees
It may be necessary for the Case Officer/Job Coach to obtain a breakdown of the funding requested where only the training element is supported. If the provider is saying the equipment is worth €x then that value should be subtracted from the course cost to establish the training cost. There is no scenario where TSG should be used to pay for kits of any sort.
Payment should only be paid after the training has been completed i.e. when the customer:
OR
Invoices should indicate the VAT or other TAX Reference Number of the supplier. The overall amount should be shown less any participant contribution or third party funding.
Payment entered should be the net payment due to the provider (net of any contributions).
Once the intervention has been delivered, the Case Officer or Job Coach will check the TSG Approval and Verification Form and supplier invoice against the approved TSG application and attach these to the Accreditation of Provider and Training (APT) form. An order of payment is produced and attached to the supplier invoice (original only).
Providers must be located in Ireland (including Northern Ireland).
Vote Bookeeping Payments,
Department of Social Protection,
Dundalk SWSO / Intreo Centre,
St. Alphonsus Road,
Dundalk,
Co. Louth.
A91 PP5W.
o1 QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) is an independent State agency responsible for promoting quality and accountability in education and training services in Ireland.
As this is an administrative scheme, decisions cannot be appealed to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
All decisions made under this scheme can be reviewed by an officer not involved in the original decision or by a more senior officer.
Case Officers should ensure that funds allocated are used efficiently and appropriately as per the Guidelines.
Each Intreo Centre should ensure that 5% of TSG payments are reviewed annually to verify all paperwork is in order
o Go to A to Z on Stór
o Click on Activation Case Management Unit to open the site
o Click on ‘follow’ on top right hand corner
All customer queries should initially be addressed at the local Intreo Centre.
Policy matters that cannot be resolved should be submitted by email via the mailboxes outlined below or in writing to:
DSP employees can access the Assessment of suitability form and other correspondence at the Working Age Schemes Policy (WASP) team site . They can email MBX-TSGenquiries (for Internal DSP Staff Members).
ECB European Central Bank RSU circulars 41/2017 and 24/2/21 updated refers.
The rate published on the day before the due date of entitlement should be used for a new claim or the effective date of a revised decision in the case of a review. The ECB is available for accessing daily where the ECB rates must be accessed by Google Chrome. Rates applicable from 1st May 2010 must refer to new ECB procedures, prior to that date the RSU conversion circulars.
(This list is not exhaustive.)
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is an independent statutory organisation. It was established by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act, 1998.
The FSAI protects consumers by ensuring that standards for food safety and hygiene are met by food businesses at all stages of production, processing and distribution. It works with other official agencies, including the Health Service Executive (HSE), to enforce food safety legislation in Ireland.
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. A food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP is a systematic approach to identifying and controlling hazards, whether microbiological, chemical or physical, that could pose a threat to the production of safe food – in simple terms, it involves identifying what could go wrong in a food system and planning how to prevent it.
Ensures your food is safe and procedures you must put in place. It is a Legal requirement. Training for HACCP recognised accreditation may be funded under TSG.
PASS – Safety Awareness Training Programme for Construction Workers.
Safe Pass is a safety awareness training programme for construction workers which is operated and managed by SOLAS. It is a one-day programme comprised of several modules, that allows you to work on construction sites without being a risk to yourself or others. Link for application form here safepass@solas.ie
Employers must make sure that employees on construction sites carry Safe Pass cards. As a result, employers must ensure that all employees are properly trained.
A Safe Pass registration card is provided on completion of the one-day Safe Pass training programme. This card lasts for 4 years from the date of the training course. The card is valid regardless of whether you leave the workplace provided it is in date. When it expires, attendance is required for another Safe Pass training course. Safe Pass Registration card is €32 not funded under TSG.
Safe Pass tutor should be accredited and have a recognised training or education qualification.
The full title of the document is PSA Licensing Requirement - Door Supervision and Security Guarding. The document may be referred to as PSA 28:2013. The Government of Ireland through the Private Security Services Act, 2004, established the Private Security Authority as the national regulatory and licensing body for the private security industry. Includes training for door supervisors, security guards and contractors.
PSA licence €90-€240 replacement is not covered supported under TSG.