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Table of Contents PART 1: ENTITLEMENT Description of Scheme - VTOS Courses Information Leaflet Legislation Administration - Qualifying Conditions Disqualifications - Rates of Payment Half Rate JB and VTOS Full Rate JB for Blind Pensioners on VTOS VTOS for more than two years Books Extra Benefits PART 2: CLAIMS, INVESTIGATION AND DECISION PROCEDURES: Claims Documentation - Decisions Appeals PART 3 : PROCEDURES FOLLOWING AWARD Payment Duration of payment - Maintenance Review Credits VTOS "TASTER" COURSES PART 1: ENTITLEMENT Description of Scheme The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme is an educational opportunities scheme for unemployed persons which is funded by the Department of Education and Science with assistance from the European Social Fund. The Scheme is operated through the Vocational Education Committees and provides a special range of courses designed to meet the education and training needs of unemployed people. The aims of the scheme are : - to give unemployed people education and training opportunities which will develop their employability - to prepare people to go into paid employment or on to further opportunities leading to paid employment VTOS Courses The Vocational Education Committees operate special VTOS courses which are particularly suitable for persons who have been out of school for some time. The courses are full-time, approximately 30 hours per week (e.g. 6 hours a day for 5 days) and last for up to 2 years. Certification is available at a range of levels, including Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate, and the Foundation, Level 1 and Level 2 certificates of the National Council for Vocational Awards (NCVA). There are no course fees. Information Leaflet "Back to Education Programmes" SW 70 Legislation The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme is an administrative scheme and is not covered by legislation. It was set up by Government decision in 1989. Administration Since January 1990, the administration of VTOS has been the responsibility of the Department of Education and Science. It is operated via the Vocational Education Committees. The role of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is limited to - confirming an applicant's duration of receipt of the relevant social welfare payment(s), rate of payment and underlying entitlement to receipt of a social welfare payment (to enable the VECs to ensure compliance with Scheme eligibility criteria), and - arranging for continued payment of One Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension, Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance, Widow's/Widower's Contributory/Non Contributory Pension and Prisoner's Wife's Allowance to relevant participants. Qualifying Conditions Eligibility criteria are determined by the Department of Education and Science. To qualify for VTOS a person must: - be at least 21 years of age at the commencement of the course, - be in receipt of an unemployment payment or signing for credits for at least 6 months*. Also, the course must be provided or approved by the local VEC for the purposes of the VTOS scheme. A limited number of places are available to persons in receipt of One Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension, Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance, Widow's/Widower's Contributory/Non Contributory Pension and Prisoner's Wife's Allowance and to qualified spouses/partners of persons eligible to participate in VTOS. Periods spent on VTOS, FS training schemes, Community Employment, Job Initiative, Youthreach or time in prison can count towards the 6 month qualifying period. Disqualifications Entitlement to a VTOS training allowance is terminated if the participant ceases to pursue the course. Issues relating to disqualification are a matter for the Department of Education and Science or the relevant VEC. Rates of Payment Persons in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit receive a weekly training allowance equivalent to the maximum personal rate of Jobseeker's Benefit. Any means which have been assessed are disregarded. Also, increases in respect of qualified adult and child dependents continue to be paid while there is an underlying entitlement to such increases on Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit. Persons in receipt of One Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension, Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance, Widow's/Widower's Contributory/Non Contributory Pension and Prisoner's Wife's Allowance continue to draw their payments in the normal way from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. VTOS is not means tested. Therefore the rate of payment is not affected by any earnings/income received by the VTOS participant. Persons signing for credits only may qualify to participate on a VTOS course. These participants do not receive a training allowance but may receive travel and lunch allowances from the VEC. The spouse/partner of a person in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit which includes an increase for the spouse/partner may also qualify to join a VTOS course. However the spouse/partner will not qualify for payment in his/her own right while on VTOS, but he/she may get a lunch and travel allowance paid by the VEC where appropriate. Half Rate JB and VTOS A VTOS participant who is in receipt of One Parent Family Payment, Deserted Wife's Allowance/Benefit, Widow's/Widower's Contributory Allowance or Prisoner's Wife's Allowance are paid at the maximum rate for the duration of the course. These payments are considered to be the primary Social Welfare payment and VTOS is awarded on the basis of these payments. In certain circumstances the claimant may also be in receipt of half rate Jobseeker's Benefit. The half rate JB may be continued to be paid in respect of days of unemployment only (for casual/part time customers), until entitlement to the JB exhausts in the normal way. The claimant may subsequently re qualify for JB provided all conditions are satisfied. In this respect the claimant is deemed to be available for employment for the duration of the VTOS claim. Full rate JB for Blind Pensioners on VTOS Where a Blind pensioner has an entitlement to full rate JB in addition to VTOS, JB may continue to be paid for days of unemployment only until the entitlement to JB exhausts in the normal way. VTOS more than two years VTOS is payable for a maximum of 2 years only. In circumstances where a person has undertaken a course that is in excess of 2 years while on VTOS, the Back to Education Second Level Option is payable for the remainder of the course. The Social Welfare Local Office should ensure that the claimant is resuming the next year of the same course in the following academic year and that no qualification was awarded on the cessation of VTOS. Once this has been established, the Second Level Option may be approved from the beginning of the new academic year. Books Persons receive free books and materials at the commencement of the VTOS course. Extra Benefits VTOS participants retain entitlement to their Social Welfare secondary benefits. There are a range of secondary benefits which are not administered by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection : - medical cards - administered by the Department of Health - differential rents - administered by the Local Authorities - travel (for distances over 3 miles) and meal allowances - administered by the Department of Education and Science. PART 2: CLAIMS, INVESTIGATION AND DECISION PROCEDURES Claims Any person who wishes to pursue Vocational Training should contact his/her local VEC. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection cannot assist in this regard. When a place has been secured the applicant must complete an application form (VTOS 1) and return it - to the appropriate Social Welfare Local Office, if s/he is unemployed, or - to One Parent Family Payments Section, Social Welfare Services Office, College Road, Sligo, (if not appropriate to a Local Office) or - to Widow's Contributory/Non Contributory Pensions, Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance, Prisoner's Wife's Allowance or Blind Pensions Section, Social Welfare Services Office, College Road, Sligo, or - to Illness Benefit Section, Aras Mhic Dhiarmada, Store St, Dublin 1, or - to Disability Allowance Section, Ballinalee Road, Longford. The application form must contain full the details of the course. Documentation To determine the amount of VTOS training allowance payable, the VEC require full details of the relevant social welfare entitlement in respect of each participant. For this purpose, a form VTOS1 REV is completed by the Social Welfare Local Office or relevant Social Welfare Head Office and returned to the VEC. Participants are required to notify the relevant social welfare payments section if they cease to attend college. Decisions Decisions on entitlement to participate in the Scheme are made by the relevant VEC, based on written confirmation (VTOS1-REV) from the appropriate Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection office that the applicant satisfies the condition of being in receipt of the relevant social welfare payment for at least 6 months prior to commencement of the course. The Social Welfare Local Office confirms the applicant's duration of registered unemployment and the rate of underlying entitlement to a jobseeker's payment. Payment of One Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension, Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance, Widow's/Widower's Contributory/Non Contributory Pension and Prisoner's Wife's Allowance are continued for the duration of participation in the VTOS course upon confirmation from the VEC that the person has been accepted on a course. Appeals VTOS is administered by the Department of Education and Science via the Vocational Education Committees and, as a result, there is no right of appeal in relation to decisions on participation in the Scheme to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection or the Social Welfare Appeals Office. Any person who is dissatisfied with a decision on underlying entitlement to a social welfare payment may appeal such decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. PART 3 : PROCEDURES FOLLOWING AWARD Payment Payment on VTOS is subject to continued participation on the course. Participants who were in receipt of a jobseeker's payment from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection are paid a rate equivalent to the maximum personal weekly rate of Jobseeker's Benefit plus the relevant increase in respect of adult and/or child dependents, where applicable. This payment is made by the VEC. Participants in receipt of One Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension, Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance, Widow's/Widower's Contributory/Non Contributory Pension and Prisoner's Wife's Allowance continue to receive their social welfare payment in the normal way. A participant must continue to satisfy the conditions relevant to his/her scheme, i.e. not cohabit in the case of lone parents. As previously unemployed participants are no longer in receipt of a social welfare payment, they are not required to sign-on at a Local Social Welfare Office while participating in the Scheme. Duration of payment The VTOS training allowance is payable for the duration of participation on a course. Participants receive One Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension, Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance, Widow's/Widower's Contributory/Non Contributory Pension and Prisoner's Wife's Allowance from the Department Employment Affairs and Social Protection for so long as the conditions for receipt of the relevant payment continue to be satisfied, e.g. a single person in receipt of One Parent Family Payment may be entitled to continue to claim such payment for so long as s/he remains unmarried, or does not cohabit. In some VEC areas, the VTOS training allowance is payable during the summer months if the participant intends resuming the course the following autumn. VTOS is also paid to all participants during the Christmas and Easter holiday periods. Maintenance The rate of payment is affected by budgetary changes and changes in qualified adult or child dependency status. Review A review is initiated when the Department is notified of any change in circumstances that may affect entitlement, i.e. a change in the status of an adult or child dependent. Credits Where a person has established an entitlement to the award of credited contributions, credits may be awarded for the duration of the participation on VTOS. Issue VTOS 2 to Central Records when claimant commences on VTOS and when claimant ceases on the VTOS course issue VTOS 3. VTOS "TASTER " Courses "Taster" courses are designed to teach studies, skills and personal development to persons who are considering a return to full-time education. Participation on the course consists of a few hours per day for a maximum duration of 12 weeks. Persons do not receive a VTOS personal allowance, although they may receive an allowance to cover travel and lunch expenses. Participants on "taster" courses retain eligibility for Jobseeker's Allowance/Benefit, One-Parent Family Payment or Disability Allowance, as appropriate. Participants are deemed to be available for work and the travel and lunch allowance is not assessable for Jobseeker's Allowance purposes.
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E - Scéim Deiseanna Oiliúna Gairmoideachais (SDOG/VTOS) - Cad í an Scéim Deiseanna Oiliúna Gairmoideachais? - Conas a cháilítear? - Conas a dhéantar iarratas? - Conas a íoctar SDOG/VTOS? - An ndéanfaidh mé ‘síniú’ fós ar an gcaoi chéanna? Cad í an Scéim Deiseanna Oiliúna Gairmoideachais? Is áis í an Scéim Deiseanna Oiliúna Gairmoideachais atá á reáchtáil ag an Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna, agus atá á hoibriú trí na Boird Oideachais agus Oiliúna. Uaireanta, maireann cúrsaí tréimhse chomh fada le dhá bhliain. Féadfaidh cáilíochtaí amhail an Teastas Sóisearach, an Ardteistiméireacht agus Teastais Chomhairle na nDámhachtainí Breisoideachais agus Oiliúna a bheith mar thoradh orthu Is iad príomhchuspóirí na scéime ná - deiseanna oideachais agus oiliúna a thabhairt do dhaoine dífhostaithe chun cabhrú leo post a fháil, agus - daoine a ullmhú chun dul i mbun fostaíochta ar phá nó chun tabhairt faoi dheiseanna breisoideachais as a dtiocfaidh fostaíocht ar phá. Tá cúrsaí SDOG/VTOS saor in aisce; féadfar roinnt cúnaimh a chur ar fáil i dtaca le leabhair agus ábhair chúrsa. Reáchtálann roinnt Bord Oideachais agus Oiliúna cúrsaí samplacha chun cabhrú leat cinneadh a dhéanamh ar an gcúrsa SDOG/VTOS is oiriúnaí chun freastal ar do riachtanais. Déan teagmháil le do Bhord Oideachais agus Oiliúna áitiúil chun a thuilleadh eolais a fháil. Conas a cháilítear? Is féidir leat cáiliú do SDOG/VTOS: - má tá tú 21 bhliain d’aois ar a laghad - má fhaigheann tú Liúntas nó Sochar do Lucht Cuardaigh Fostaíochta nó má tá tú ag síniú i gcomhair creidmheasanna le sé mhí ar a laghad. Ina theannta sin, is féidir leat cáiliú má tá ceann díobh seo á fháil agat le sé mhí ar a laghad: - Íocaíocht Teaghlaigh Aontuismitheora, - Liúntas Míchumais, - Sochar Breoiteachta, - Pinsean Easláine, - Pinsean na nDall, - Liúntas do Bhanchéile Tréigthe, - Sochar do Bhanchéile Tréigthe, - Pinsean Baintrí, Baintrí Fir nó Páirtnéara Shibhialta Mharthanaigh (Ranníocach nó Neamh-Ranníocach , - Liúntas do Bhanchéile Príosúnaigh. Má tá ceann de na híocaíochtaí seo á fháil agat, ní mór duit a bheith in ann a thaispeáint nach bhfuil tú gafa le fostaíocht ar phá le 6 mhí ar a laghad roimh duit an cúrsa a thosú. Féadfar am a chaitear ar chúrsaí oiliúna SOLAS, ar Fhostaíocht Phobail, ar Thionscnamh Post nó am i bpríosún nó ar Ógtheagmháil a áireamh ó thaobh na tréimhse cáiliúcháin sé mhí. Má cháilíonn tú do ‘ranníocaíochtaí curtha chun sochair’, leanfar díobh sin a bhronnadh le linn duit a bheith ar an gcúrsa. Má tá tú ag síniú i gcomhair creidmheasanna dífhostaíochta amháin, is féidir go gcáileoidh tú chun páirt a ghlacadh sa scéim ach ní bhfaighidh tú liúntas. Má tá íocaíocht dífhostaíochta á fáil agat agus má fhaigheann tú méadú do do chéile, do pháirtnéir sibhialta nó do chomhchónaitheoir, féadfaidh sé/sí páirt a ghlacadh i SDOG/ VTOS freisin. Ní cháileoidh do chéile, do pháirtnéir sibhialta nó do chomhchónaitheoir d’íocaíocht dá c(h)eart féin, áfach, le linn dó/di a bheith ar SDOG/VTOS ach is féidir go bhfaighidh sé/sí liúntas beag lóin agus taistil (arna íoc ag an mBord Oideachais agus Oiliúna), i gcás ar cuí sin. Tabhair faoi deara: Má tá Sochar Breoiteachta á fháil agat, ní mór duit cead ón Roinn a fháil roimh duit cúrsa SDOG/VTOS a thosú. Conas a dhéantar iarratas? Déan iarratas ar áit i SDOG/VTOS chuig do Bhord Oideachais agus Oiliúna áitiúil. Tabhair faoi deara: Ní mór ceann de na híocaíochtaí ábhartha Leasa Shóisialaigh a bheith á fháil agat le 6 mhí ar a laghad roimh duit an cúrsa a thosú. Conas a íoctar SDOG/VTOS? Más iontrálaí nua thú ar íocaíocht leasa shóisialaigh, seachas íocaíocht do lucht cuardaigh fostaíochta atá bainteach le haois, a cháilíonn don SDOG/VTOS, beidh an ráta seachtainiúil is iníoctha ar chóimhéid le d’íocaíocht roimhe seo a cháiligh dáiríre thú chun páirt a ghlacadh sa scéim. San áit ar cuí sin, is féidir freisin go gcáileoidh tú do mhéaduithe do dhuine fásta cáilithe agus do gach leanbh cáilithe. Maidir le hiontrálaithe nua faoi bhun 26 bliana d’aois ar íocaíocht do lucht cuardaigh fostaíochta atá bainteach le haois, gheobhaidh siad uasráta pearsanta €160. I gcásanna inarb ann d’acmhainn, measúnófar iad i bhfianaise an ráta €160. Tabhair faoi deara: Is cóir duit teagmháil a dhéanamh le Seirbhís Leasa Phobail na Roinne seo i do Lárionad Intreo áitiúil nó i d’Oifig áitiúil chun a fháil amach conas mar a fhéadfar dul i bhfeidhm ar d’Fhorlíonadh Cíosa nó Úis Mhorgáiste. Chun a thuilleadh eolais a fháil ar an Scéim Deiseanna Oiliúna Gairmoideachais - SDOG/VTOS, déan teagmháil le do Bhord Oideachais agus Oiliúna áitiúil. An ndéanfaidh mé ‘síniú’ fós ar an gcaoi chéanna? Má tá tú cláraithe mar dhuine dífhostaithe, ní bheidh ort ‘síniú a dhéanamh’ i do Lárionad Intreo áitiúil nó i d’Oifig Leasa Shóisialaigh áitiúil le linn duit a bheith ar an gcúrsa.