Our Regional Education and Training Boards (ETBs) are at the heart of education and skills in the Midlands. Covering a broad spectrum of learning, with everything from Schools, to Further Education, as well as Apprenticeships, Traineeships, Hospitality Training, Post Leaving Certificate (PLC), Specific Skills Training, Local Training Initiatives, Vocational Training, Youth Provision, Back to Education, Community Education, Literacy Services and Evening Courses.
Your Local ETB should be your first stop when it comes to training, reskilling or education in the Midlands.
Across Midlands, almost 20,000 people are undertaking Further Education and Training Courses with their ETB.
The LOETB is the primary source for all Education & Training Boards and Further Education & Training (FET) centres in Laois and Offaly. On their site, you’ll find courses and training on offer in Tullamore, Birr, Portlaoise and Abbeyleix, including full-time courses, part-time courses and evening courses, with options to suit a diverse range of interests and industries to help further your career journey.
With course offerings at various levels up to QQI Level 6, Tullamore LOETB/FETC proudly states that approximately 80% of their students continue on to third level education. Their full-time courses include, but are not limited to, Engineering, Science, Healthcare, Business, and Early Childhood Learning & Care.
Business Administration, Business and Finance, Office Management with Legal and Medical Studies, and Retail Practice with Digital Marketing are just some of the great courses available at Birr LOETB/FETC in Co. Offaly, and each with plentiful employment opportunities upon completion.
The Portlaoise Institute (LOETB) offers 3 degree programmes – a Bachelor of Business Studies, Bachelor of Science in Software Development and Bachelor of Science in IT Management – on top of their 26 full-time courses, 31 part-time modules and an apprenticeship programme.
Abbeyleix FETC (or loetb) in Co. Laois offers a wide range of full-time courses and part-time course options. Following a QQI Level 5 or 6 course, students may apply to other third-level courses to further their studies, such as the Pharmacy Assistant course which progresses to Level 6 and Level 8 at TUS Midlands, TUS Midwest and DCU.
With campuses across Longford and Westmeath, LWETB is an excellent resource for further education and training. Here, students can find pathways to grow their knowledge and skills for personal and professional success. Their Enterprise Engagement Unit actively works to support skills development in the Midlands with the Midlands Regional Skills Forum, Enterprise Ireland, IDA, Local Enterprise Office, and more. They also have over 70 apprenticeship opportunities to avail of.
Longford ETB offers a host of excellent courses including Mathematics, Statistics, Agriculture, Arts, Humanities and Engineering, and more, focusing on practical and theoretical learning. For example, the Engineering Technology course enables students to safely solve engineering challenges in the workplace, equipping them for an apprenticeship in the engineering, motor, bus, aircraft or other industries
Choose from 18 courses in Business & IT, Art & Sport, and Healthcare & Social Studies at Moate Business College (MBC) in Westmeath. The college has connections with third level colleges, and strong affiliations with employers to create work placement programmes and employment opportunities in both Ireland and abroad. MBC is a great source of upskilling and education for school-leavers and professionals alike.
Athlone CTC (Community Training Centre) is a branch of the LWETB. Here, adults and early school leavers aged 16+ can gain technical, vocational and social skills, and experience to advance professionally. Courses in Mechanical Engineering, IT Skills, Digital Media, and more, have seen students go on to continue studies at third level colleges, join apprenticeships or take up employment in their relevant fields.
Today, apprenticeship programmes are very broad, and include the likes of Accounting, Insurance and Engineering on top of the more traditionally well-known trade apprenticeships. This is an area of massive growth in the Midlands, with links through to TUS to further develop qualifications.
There are many apprenticeships at Longford Westmeath ETB and Laois Offaly ETB to further your career or support your business, and you can also visit Generation Apprenticeship to read about complete offerings from all industries, spanning finance, construction, ICT, biopharma and more.
Skills to Advance is a brilliant initiative for anyone seeking to upskill or reskill for their job or business. In today’s ever-changing world, some industries are vulnerable while others are progressing at a rapid pace, and both require support for employers and employees alike. It is also an opportunity for those in lower-skilled positions to get up to speed with current sought-after skills and move into other areas of employment.
From Lean and Agile Project Management to Managing a Remote Team, Skills To Advance delivers courses that respond to the changing needs of jobs with relevant training to meet business needs while working around your work schedule. Ask your local ETB for more information on Skills to Advance.
Local ETBs around the Midlands and Ireland have linked in with regional universities to offer a pathways programme to learners. The students begin their course at Level 5/6 in a FET Centre such as Portlaoise Institute, where they undertake their first year or two locally. Then, through defined pathways, the student can complete their degree at SETU’s Carlow Campus.
This Portlaoise Institute/SETU initiative is the first of its kind in Ireland – an ETB FET Centre offering a degree course with a direct link to complete their studies, rather than applying and transferring.
Mount Lucas is home to the National Construction Training Centre, offering construction training and testing services for members of the public, and is home to the National Apprenticeship in Scaffolding. As a Retrofitting and Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) Centre of Excellence, based in the Midlands, it also runs the National Skilled Utilities Operator Traineeship.
This excellent centre is geared for the employed and unemployed, a place of hands-on learning to train and upskill existing and aspiring construction and machine operatives to develop a career within the industry.
Based in Tullamore, this is the place to train for a future in the thriving bio-pharma and medical-tech industry in Ireland. Training is built around each client’s requirements, to create ideal outcomes for job seekers as well as the industries eager to hire highly skilled personnel with unique training solutions for Midlands-based clients, whether training as an operator, senior management, or in between.
Midlands Skills Centre delivers whole training solutions in a realistic GMP simulated manufacturing environment, with enhanced learning experience through adjacent IT and meeting facilities, including a state-of-the-art cleanroom, laboratories and classrooms.