Training Support to Employment Guidelines

Training Support to Employment Guidelines

Clare Local Development Company, under it’s Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme have a Training Support to Employment (TSE) fund that may help you to complete a training course that will lead to employment.

 

  • Applicants must;
    1. be a minimum of 9 months unemployed
    2. have Leaving Certificate, QQI Level 5 or less
    3. be experiencing disadvantage
  • The training course must lead directly to employment/self-employment.
  • If you are in receipt of a Social Welfare payment, you must show that you are unable to access funding from DEASP, please speak to your Case Officer first.
  • The maximum amount of funding that you can apply for is €500
  • The focus is on short-term courses, maximum length is 12 months.
  • Only courses up to and including QQI level 5 will be considered under this fund.
  • Industry related training can be considered.
  • Applications can only be made towards the cost of course and exam fees, no other costs are eligible.
  • If the course cost exceeds €500, you will have to show that you are able to pay the additional costs.
  • If the course cost is under €500, if successful in your application, we will aim to cover up to 90% of course costs with you covering the remaining 10%, subject to availability of funding.
  • The TSE funding is open 4/5 times per year, only applications that show a definite offer of employment will be considered outside of these times.
  • On completion of the course we request a copy of your certificate
  • If you move into employment or self-employment we request that you let us know.
  • You are only allowed one successful application per year.
  • Applications are subject to eligibility and funding constraints.

 

Contact Helen

If you would like more information about training support to employment contact Helen on 087 932 8168, Email: hderham@cldc.ie

 

ILDN Enterprise Award- Milliner Margaret wins national prize

ILDN Enterprise Award- Milliner Margaret wins national prize

Excerpt taken from The Irish Times, 17th May 2019
Two years ago milliner Margaret O’Connor was unemployed but she had a great reputation and a string of international accolades to her name.

Now she has a new title, Ireland’s Top Entrepreneur, with her new collection of headwear called Cloud Nine.

Ms O’Connor was chosen from among 17 shortlisted finalists at the Irish Local Development Network awards in Tullamore on Thursday evening.

Most of the finalists were made redundant or lost their jobs but are now back working as a result of support received from local development companies, the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) and Short Term Enterprise Allowance scheme (STEA).

For Margaret O’Connor the award is the culmination of an amazing year that has also seen her win the best hat at the Dublin Horse Show. Her creations have also been worn by Lady Gaga and featured in a music video by UK band Years & Years.

“I want people to take a chance on fashion, for it to be more accessible to them. When I was younger fashion wasn’t that accessible to me because of my rural background.” She is from Tubber, Co Clare.

Business plan
“I would be happy on my own in my studio making hats until the cows come home, I couldn’t do this if I hadn’t been made do this or guided to do this, I needed to be pushed. Clare Local Development Board were the ones who got me to do my business plan, they got me to do everything, to get my premises.

“Suddenly in two years I am a business woman.”

Margaret says “If it wasn’t for the back to work scheme and Clare local development I wudnt have my shop and business in Summerhill in Ennis ,Co’Clare. I’m so lucky to have this help. Last night I was lucky enough to be The winner of the National Enterprise Awards nominated and supported by Clare Local Development Company”

Read a case study on Margaret’s business journey here

SICAP

What is SICAP?

SICAP in full is “Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme” and is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and administered by Pobal and the Local Community Development Committee in Co. Clare.

Programme Aim

The aim of SICAP is to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality in Ireland through supporting communities and individuals using community development approaches, engagement and collaboration.

This programme will run from 2018 – 2022.

Who is it for?

SICAP has specific ‘target’ groups to ensure it is a targeted and focused programme. Only people who are from one or more of these groups are eligible for support under the programme:

Disadvantaged Children and Families
People living in Disadvantaged Communities
Disadvantaged Young People (aged 15 – 24)
People with Disabilities
Disadvantaged Women
Roma
Travellers
Lone Parents
The Disengaged from the Labour Market (Economically Inactive)
Low Income Workers / Households
The Unemployed
New Communities

SICAP has 2 Goals

Goal 1: Supporting Communities

To support communities and target groups to engage with relevant stakeholders in identifying and addressing social exclusion and equality issues, developing the capacity of Local Community Groups, and creating more sustainable communities.

Goal 2: Supporting Individuals

To support disadvantaged individuals to improve the quality of their lives through the provision of lifelong learning and labour market supports.

We Support Communities

Developing a group
Accessing Funding
Influencing decision makers
Hosting a community event/meeting
Training or facilitating
Growing a social enterprise

We Support Individuals

Improving quality of life
Identifying next steps
Finding out about rights & entitlements
Exploring educational, training/employment options
Accessing a small grant for training
Applying for Back to Work Enterprise Allowance and Enterprise Grant
Farm income options

Innovative Interactive Photo Posts Project

Innovative Interactive Photo Posts Project

A series of interactive photo posts have recently been installed on walking trails in Co Clare. Unlike more traditional trail marker posts, these innovative ones boast smartphone holders and have multiple uses.

The initiative was organised by Clare Rural Recreation Officer (RRO) Eoin Hogan of Clare Local Development Company. Eoin explains that these new posts allow walkers to do three things. “First, they allow walkers to take photos of trail conditions and send reports back to the trail manager via our website,” states Eoin. “Secondly, he adds, “the posts allow walkers to take selfies in safe locations.” “And finally,” Eoin explains, “you can take scenic photos and upload them automatically to the trail managers website. This is a great way to promote the trails to other hikers.”

Monitoring trail conditions

When it comes to monitoring trail conditions to ensure that walking routes remain safe and well maintained, the buck stops with RRO Eoin who looks after more than 400km of on-road and off-road walking trails and cycling trails. Given the length and, at times, remote areas of the trails, it is a challenging job requiring plenty of man-hours.

Eoin previously set up a team of volunteer trail wardens who monitor the trails once every three months and send the paperwork to be filed by the RRO. The initial funding for this warden scheme came from winning the Caminoways Greenlife Fund in 2016 and a further roll-out is planned in a cooperation project with Clare Sports Partnership. Now the new trail posts will supplement this monitoring process and the posts are positioned in areas where more regular trail monitoring is required. Anyone walking in these remoter spots can take photos of trail conditions and send reports back to trail manager via their website. The monitoring of the trails is critical for keeping them safe and maintained but also for preventing potential insurance claims.

Safe selfie locations
Believe it or not, a 2018 study from the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care found that 259 verifiable selfie-related deaths were recorded from 2011 to 2017.
Clare recently had its own ‘selfie’ tragedy when an Indian student fell from the Cliffs of Moher and eyewitness reports said he was taking a photo of himself at the time. One way to alleviate this is to create ‘safe selfie’ locations.
Eoin explains that the safe selfie locations are chosen to ensure the trail user is safe and away from danger, and that the chosen spots provide the ‘exciting’ view for the selfie taker, reducing the risk of them venturing to more dangerous spots.
Promotion of the trails by sharing scenic photos
Another benefit of these interactive photo posts is that they will allow walkers to take scenic photos and immediately upload them to the trail manager’s website for all to see. From the 300m Cliffs of Moher to the unique limestone landscape of the Burren, allowing instant sharing of gorgeous photos will encourage more walkers and lovers of nature to Co Clare which spans both the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Hidden Heartland Regions..

Instant uploading of photos will be possible using:
• The NFC Chip on the posts
• The QR code on the posts
• The direct website address which is also found on the posts
NFC stands for Near Field Communication and is a wireless technology that allows you to tap your smartphone on the post to open the trails website (on your phone) and upload it to.
Similarly, if you scan the QR code on the post with your phone, it will open a webpage allowing them to upload a picture to the trails website.
Or you can type the trail website into the browser on your phone to complete your photo upload.
If you’re keen to see these shared photos or to learn more about the project, visit Clare-getsidetracked.ie

Clare Market Towns – Kilrush Town Team

Clare Market Towns – Kilrush Town Team

Kilrush Town Team launched their development plan on the 9th May 2019.

The aim of the event was to engage with individuals and businesses who wanted to consider the following:

A bright future for Kilrush
How to get involved and collaborate with others
Promote local societies, clubs and businesses
Gain access to information on funding opportunities

The main speakers at the event were David Fitzsimons, Group Chief Executive of Retail Excellence, and Colm O’Brien, founder and managing director of Carambola Kidz – Healthy School Lunches Delivered.

The launch event was sponsored by Kilrush Credit Union, Wild Atlantic Opticians, Clare Local Development Company & Kilrush Marina and was well attended.

What is Kilrush Town Team?

Kilrush Town Team is a partnership body, which was formed under Clare Local Development Company’s (CLDC) Market Towns project in February 2018.

The primary motivating factor behind the establishment of a Town Team is to support sustainable and coordinated approaches to the revitalisation of a town. A Town Team structure allows a town, and its various community organisations, to prepare and cost a selection of the most desirable projects which can be targeted when funding opportunities become available. It is often found the window for funding is short creating difficulties for communities to organise and submit suitable applications. With a Town team in place, who have helped to select and cost initiatives with other community groups, these types of applications can be completed in a timely and efficient manner. Essentially, this allows for ‘’shovel ready’’ projects which can be progressed immediately. The Town Team comprises a “Management Team” and “Thematic Groups.”