Over €7.7 million has been awarded to NUI Galway and GMIT for free and subsidised higher education places for people in Galway and Mayo.

The places are under Springboard 2020 – the scheme from the Higher Education Authority which helps equip workers or unemployed people with new skills – and the Human Capital Initiative, an initiative that provides new courses/places in areas where there are skills shortages and emerging technologies.

As part of Springboard 2020 €2.68 million has been allocated to GMIT to run 19 courses and create 597 college places while €903,049 has been allocated to NUI Galway which will fund 270 new places across 13 courses.

Places are available on courses in a wide range of skills areas, including artificial technology, smart factory/manufacturing technology, sustainable energy, medical device technology and cybersecurity.

NUIG and GMIT have also been allocated funding under the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) to run courses for three years in areas for which there are skill shortages. GMIT will use this €2 million in funding to run six new courses with 338 college places while NUIG will create 345 new places across four new courses accounting for an investment of €2.1 million.

Full details on Springboard and HCI courses are available at www.springboardcourses.ie.