Unemployed construction workers will be amongst those to benefit after Irish Tánaiste Mary Coughlan announced 6,589 training places are to be made available under the Labour Market Activation Fund, 2010.

Some €20million has been ring-fenced to provide the courses in a range of different locations targeting the less-skilled, and those formerly employed in declining sectors such as construction, retail and manufacturing, with particular emphasis on the under 35s and the long-term unemployed.

Following an open tender competition in which 370 tenders were received, the contracts are being awarded to organisations across the private, not-for-profit and public sectors to support specific training and education programmes for priority groups of the unemployed.

Making the announcement, Ms Coughlan - who is also the Minister for Education and Skills - said: "We put the Activation Fund in place to stimulate innovation in the provision of training and activation measures for jobseekers seeking to up-skill and get back into work. The response to the call for proposals for fund support exceeded the most optimistic expectations, and the overall high standard of tenders received made the task of selecting the successful proposals all the more challenging. I congratulate the successful training and education providers who participated in a very competitive process."

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Commenting on the measures to be supported, the Tánaiste pointed out that three-quarters of available places would be aimed at those with qualifications at or below Leaving Certificate level.

"Through this Fund we will be actively supporting a wide variety of participant-centred programmes aimed at improving the employability of jobseekers through 'progression pathways' to training, education and employment opportunities", she said.

The Tánaiste observed that for those with higher-level qualifications wishing to re-skill there was an exciting mix of programmes on offer covering a broad spectrum of activities in potential high growth areas of the economy.

"These programmes very much fit with the Government's objective of strengthening our human capital by enhancing education and skills levels in line with the national Skills Strategy and the needs of the 'Smart Economy'," she said.

"This is essential in order that Ireland becomes more competitive and can take advantage of improved economic conditions, strong signs of which are already evident."

(NS/GK)