The Government has moved to deal with rising skill shortages in the economy by agreeing to fund 1,000 new third-level places for employees looking to acquire new skills.
The places will be divided among 14 institutes of technology (ITs) and employees will not be charged tuition fees. The places are meant for employees in sectors such as electronics, construction, pharmaceuticals and ebusiness.
The new courses differ from traditional third-level courses in several respects.
Employees will gain their national certificate by completing academic work and by learning in the workplace. Students will be required to gain 120 credits each year - 60 for academic work and 60 for activities in the workplace.
During the course (expected to run over three years) employees divide their week between college and workplace. The courses will be sponsored by their employers, who have to make arrangements with their local IT.
The places are being made available under the institute trainee programme. Details have just been sent to the ITs and they will now compete against each other to offer the places.
The other difference with traditional third-level offerings is that the new courses will not have to run according to the traditional academic calendar. They can start and finish at different times of the year.
The courses will cover a range of areas but will focus on hard-pressed sectors identified last year by the National Skills Expert Group.
Dr Sean McDonagh, director of the Skills Initiative Unit, which helped to design parts of the programme, said the courses were aimed at people with low skills and others who wanted a "second chance" education.
"These courses are also attractive because they allow people to remain employees. They will just not be full-time employees during the course," he said.
He said operatives in some of the large computer companies would be the type of people who could update their skills, increase their earnings and give added value to their companies.
He said with the number of school-leavers dropping, the ITs also needed to start training new groups, especially "non-traditional learners".
Those who complete the courses will receive a national certificate from the National Council for Education Awards or a certificate from the Dublin Institute of Technology.
A Leaving Certificate with a minimum of five passes, including maths and English, will be needed to do the courses. However, candidates without these standards can still apply on an individual basis to an IT.
While no tuition fees will be charged, trainees will have to pay a capitation fee of £146 for each year.