The Open College, a not-for-profit organisation and Ireland’s leading provider of distance and elearning courses, is making available 33 FETAC Award scholarship courses FREE to successful applicants across Ireland at a value of over €100,000.  The courses will be delivered by distance learning.

Each scholarship issued will be fully comprehensive with all course materials supplied and with one-to-one tutor support for the duration of the course.  All tutor fees, course fees, examination and certification fees will be covered as part of the scholarship.

Each year for the next five years the scholarship programme will offer a total of 33 scholarships, four for Dublin, two each for Galway, Cork, Limerick and Waterford and one each for the remaining 21 counties in the Republic of Ireland

Announcing the establishment of the five year scholarship programme, Mr. Joe Walsh, Chief Executive, The Open College said: “We are extremely proud of the fact that we are the first private company to offer educational and training courses to the public on a not-for-profit basis”.

“Our courses educate and train many hundreds of people throughout the country each year.  Our interaction with these people reminds us daily about our social entrepreneurial responsibilities as an employer and as a good provider of education”.

“The scholarship programme is our way of providing FETAC awards to people who may not be in a position to further educate themselves for whatever reason but who are ambitious for qualifications which will help bring them back into the workforce or offer better job prospects to those in work”.

Applicants for The Open College scholarships must:

• be seeking to up-skill or have been made redundant
• have the Leaving Certificate or equivalent
• be seeking work or training
• require financial support
• submit a career plan and have a valid reason for taking the course.

Jobseekers, long-term unemployed and those on back-to-work programmes are eligible.

• Excluded from applying are people already on a FÁS course; those in education; and those under 16 years of age.

All applications must be completed on the official application form.  Online applications and downloadable forms can be completed through The Open College’s website at: http://theopencollege.com/scholarship-programme.html

All applications must be completed and submitted by Sunday July 31 2011.  A judging panel in each county will review all applications and select the successful scholarship winners.