Roscommon  Vocational  Education  Committee

Budget 2011

The 2011 Budget reduces the long-term unemployment bonus paid to students on VTOS from €31.80 to €20 per week.

What kind of courses are available?

The courses range from basic education and training to advanced vocational training. There is a wide choice of subjects available. The courses are full-time, about 30 hours a week, for example, 6 hours a day for 5 days. The courses can last for up to 2 years and many of them lead to qualifications such as the Junior Certificate, Leaving Certificate and the FETAC awards at Level 3, 4, and 5 on the National Framework of Qualifications. You can find a list of VTOS courses on the Qualifax website.

• Getting, Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance or signing for credits for at least 6 months or
• Getting One-Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit** or Invalidity Pension for at least 6 months or Getting Blind Person's Pension, Deserted Wife's Allowance/Benefit, Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory Pension, Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Non-Contributory Pension or Prisoner's Wife's Allowance for at least 6 months (conditions may apply in the case of these payments) or A dependent spouse of an eligible person for at least 6 months

Periods spent on FÁS training courses, Community Employment Schemes, Job Initiative, Youthreach programmes and time in prison can count towards the qualifying period but not towards the Trainee Allowance (Bonus) Payment.

** If you are claiming Illness Benefit, you should contact your local social welfare office about exemption/entitlement to continuation of your Illness Benefit payment.

You can participate in the VTOS scheme in one of the following ways; you can be either:

** A core VTOS student attending a VTOS centre or adult education centre or
** A dispersed VTOS student, usually attending a Post-Leaving Certificate course
in a further education college.

There is a list of frequently asked questions about VTOS on the VTOS website.
Contact the VTOS co-ordinator at your local VTOS centre to find out more about the VTOS courses available.

If you are getting Jobseeker's Assistance or Jobseeker's Benefit, you will instead get a training allowance at a rate equivalent to the maximum rate of Jobseeker's Benefit. VTOS training allowances are not taxable.

If you are getting one of the other eligible social welfare payments you will get a payment equivalent to the maximum rate of your current social welfare payment. You will continue to receive it and all other payments from the Department of Social Protection.

Budget 2011 reduces the rates of these payments by 4%.

Since 2010, people on PLC courses who are getting VTOS allowances are no longer eligible for student support grants. However, this does not affect any entitlement they may have to
exemption from college fees or student support charges.

There are no fees for VTOS courses and you will get free books and materials at the start of the course. Depending on your individual circumstances you may be eligible for the following:

** Meal allowance
** Travel allowance
** Free childcare place for your child under the new Childcare Employment and
Training Support (CETS) scheme,
** A training bonus payment of €31.80 if you have been getting an eligible
social welfare payment for at least 12 months before starting the VTOS scheme.

Budget 2011 reduces the long-term unemployment bonus paid to students on VTOS
from €31.80 to €20 per week.

More detailed information about the rates of payment for VTOS participants is on the
Department of Social Protection website.