If you are a early school leaver or know of someone who is, there is a course available which will give people a opportunity to improve their skills and increase their potential to gain greater job opportunities. The National College of Ireland (NCI) are offering a course to people who are aged between 17 and 25, who have a Junior Certificate, but have not completed their education to Leaving Certificate Standard.

To avail of a free place on the Step Up to Learning programme, the person must be currently employed in the Dublin City area. The course is part time and will take place over 140 hours over six months the actual dates and times will be agreed with the student based on their profile and their availability.

The course is divided into 4 modules and aims to cover Personal Development and Communication. The first module will deal with personal effectiveness in the work place and communication skills. Module 2 will concentrate on people skills and teambuilding and this will cover the areas of human resources, team building equality and diversity, management, and safety and health in the work place. Module 3 is based on business and computer skills, and will teach business calculations, the Internet and word processing, and the final module will concentrate on quality and service management, through customer services and quality awareness training.

The course is fully funded and is free to the students, and the object of the course is to introduce or reintroduce students to learning in a positive and practical way, which will lead to a positive effect on employment opportunities and can lead to further learning opportunities. The course starts in January 2006 and on successful completion of the course all students will receive an NCI certificate of learning. On completion of the course in NCI students could if they wish, progress their studies in NCI or other colleges, university, or institute of their choice.

If you are a young person and you meet the criteria and wish to take this course contact Deirdre Giblin in NCI (4498500) or email Deirdre at dgiblin@eircom.net.