‘Aiming to provide rural people with an
opportunity to experience life-long learning and develop skills’

Introduction

The project, funded by EU INTERREG IIIA, is set to address the low skills level within the border region by enhancing qualifications and skills levels.

Training and Re-skilling will be cross border based, adopting a partnership approach between Colleges of Further & Higher Education, Training
Providers,  Community Centres and business’ within the Blackwater
Catchment Area.

Courses on Offer

A wide range of courses, at all levels, will be provided under the following headings:

Basic Hospitality Skills to Hospitality Management;

Basic I.T. Skills and I.T. Business Skills for SME’s and Micro Business;

Indigenous Organic Food Production;

Rural Leisure Activities e.g. Ghillies, Canoeing;

Traditional Vocational Skills;

Conservation Construction Skills. 

Benefits

Local people will be given the opportunity to further develop their skills within their own communities and gain recognised qualifications;

Increased employment opportunities;

• Facilitation of linkages between training providers and business’;

• Expand potential for economic and social growth.

Current Partnerships and Linkages Established

Main Training Providers

Armagh College
Coalisland Training Services
GROW Training & Development
East Tyrone College
VEC Monaghan

Specialised Training Providers

Conservation Volunteers
Outdoor Pursuit Tutors
Greenmount Agricultural College

Location

All training will be on-going in rural border community centres within the Blackwater Catchment, over the next 3 years giving everyone equal opportunity.

Numbers Enrolled

January 2005 - June 2005 : 160 participants

September 2005 - December 2005 : 168 participants (39 on waiting list for fully subscribed courses)

Comments from Previous Participants

“I was interested in introducing different wines in my restaurant and the ‘How to Sell Wine’ course has increased my knowledge of the wines available and different sales techniques.”        

“This is the first course, ‘IT for the Terrified’, that I have felt able to attend now that my children have grown up and I look forward to enrolling on more courses with the Partnership in the future.”

All courses have due regard to promote equality of opportunity, good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, race, age, marital status or sexual orientation. 

This project is funded by the Irish Central Border Area INTERREG IIIA Partnership (ICBAN) through the EU INTERREG IIIA Programme Ireland/Northern Ireland