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Springboard+ is an Irish government initiative providing free and heavily subsidized higher education opportunities for adults seeking to upskill, reskill, return to employment, or prepare for changing workforce needs. Managed by the Higher Education Authority on behalf of Ireland's Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the initiative supports courses in areas where current or emerging skills needs have been identified.
Springboard+ courses are offered by public and private higher education providers and range from Level 6 certificates through Level 9 master's-level programs on Ireland's National Framework of Qualifications.
Courses are generally designed for flexible participation and may include part-time, online, work-placement, industry-project, and other employment-related learning components.
Microcredential courses have been incorporated into Springboard+ since 2025.
For 2026, Springboard+ provides more than 7,200 places across 244 courses delivered by 36 education providers. Areas include AI, digital technologies, sustainability, healthcare innovation, advanced manufacturing, business leadership, offshore wind energy, circular economy, and other fields linked to workforce demand.
Springboard was established in 2011 as part of Ireland's Jobs Initiative, initially focusing primarily on unemployed people with previous employment experience. As labor-market conditions changed, eligibility and program design expanded to serve people already employed, self-employed individuals, people returning to the workforce, and others seeking career development or reskilling.
The initiative is designed to complement Ireland's regular state-funded education and training system by rapidly supporting programs in areas of identified economic and skills need. Course proposals are selected through a competitive process and evaluated for their relationship to workforce demand and employment outcomes.
Publicly financed and co-funded through Irish and European funding mechanisms. Funding includes support through Ireland's National Training Fund and the European Social Fund Plus. More than €450 million had been invested in Springboard+ since its establishment in 2011, with more than 122,000 participants served by March 2026.
Unemployed participants and people returning to the workforce can generally participate in eligible full or part-time Springboard+ courses without tuition charges. Employed participants typically receive a 90% fee subsidy. Springboard+ microcredential participants generally receive a 50% subsidy under the program.
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