22 February 2023
Cultúr Migrants Centre announces the completion of the first year of its three-year Upskilling Program funded through the Rethink Engage & Educate Fund which began in January 2022 in response to high levels of demand for accredited training courses and to empower migrants through education and promote employability skills.
The Engage & Educate Fund is a €1.2 million fund created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with Mason Hayes and Curran LLP and the Department of Rural and Community Development.
The program is tailored to respond to labour market demand and targeted to provide training to new communities who want to improve their skills while addressing language barriers and supporting their mental health and well-being.
Post the COVID-19 pandemic this fund is designed to close the gap in educational opportunities between different socio-economic classes and address the negative impact on young people and adults who have left the education system early.
Commenting on this milestone, Cultúr Integration Support Worker Reuben Hambakachere said,
“We are thrilled to have come this far in the project and thank Rethink Ireland and Mason Hayes & Curran LLP for affording us this opportunity to train more people that had lost their jobs but have now been able to return to education, whilst others have obtained employment to help them progress.”
The upskilling program was available online and in person to support participants to kickstart their careers through accredited training and vocational courses.
One of the project’s participants Bashir said,
‘’I was lucky to hear about Cultur’s Upskilling training program, and I applied for Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II) certification assessment. I was immediately enrolled and was helped by Cultúr before and during the assessment test’’.
In the period under review, 180 migrants from 14 countries attended the training which increased their confidence and equipped them with new skills. Speaking on the success of the first year Rethink Ireland Fund Manager Daragh Wallace said,
‘‘I would just like to say a massive thank you and well done to everyone that participated in the event. We are firmly in year 2 of the Fund now and I’m excited to keep working with you all to deepen our impact across Ireland.’’
Cultúr Migrants centre is a regional community organisation, based in counties Meath and Louth, working with ethnic minorities including immigrants, migrant workers, International Protection Applicants, and refugees.
#EngageAndEducate
Cultur Migrants Centre
Contact: Tinu Achioya – Project Manager
Phone: 0860 111 742 Email: [email protected] Web: https://cultur.ie