National Training Fund
- Name of the instrument - Local language
- National Training Fund
- Name of the instrument - English translation
- National Training Fund
- Scheme ID
- 109
- Country
- Ireland
- Reporting year
- 2020
- Type of instrument
- Training fund
- Sub-type of instrument
- National level collection and national level distribution
- Type of entry
- Single instrument
- Short description
Employers are obliged by law to contribute a fixed share of payroll (0.7%) to a training fund. The fund provides for expenditure on training for those seeking employment, training for persons in employment, literacy, and numeracy, training for those in the community and voluntary sector, and also provides funding for the identification of existing and future skills needs for the economy. Eligible costs are defined under the separate programmes funded through the National Training Fund.
- Level of operation
- National
- Name of a part of the country
- Not applicable
- Name of the region (for regional instruments)
- Not applicable
- Name of the sector (for sectoral instruments)
- Not applicable
- Relevance
- Key instrument
- Legal basis
- National Training Fund Act 2000
- Objective(s) and target(s)
- To support the training of those in employment and those who wish to take up employment. It also is used to provide funding of research into existing and future skills requirements of the economy.
- Year of implementation
- 2000
- Year of latest amendment
- 2019
- Operation/management
- The Department for Education and Skills assumed responsibility for the Fund in 2010. The fund provides for expenditure on training for those seeking employment, training for persons in employment, literacy and numeracy, training for those in the community and voluntary sector and also provides funding for the identification of existing and future skills needs for the economy.
- Eligible group(s)
- The fund provides for expenditture for those seeking employment, training for persons in employment, literacy and numeracy, training for those in the community and voluntary sector.
- Group(s) with preferential treatment
- No
- Education and training eligible
- Depending on the programme/initiative.
- Source of financing and collection mechanism
- The fund is mainly resourced by a compulsory levy on employers of 0.7% of reckonable earnings of employees in certain employment classes, which is collected through the PAYE/PRSI system.
- Financing formula and allocation mechanisms
- Depending on the programme/initiative. Allocation: The department of Education and Skills decides training support policies and allocation of NTF funds to different agencies/programmes. Then, typically, a system of annual calls and competing proposals from companies/groups of companies is applied. It is also used to fund programmes such as Skillnets and MOMENTUM. Grants are allocated to companies which best meet pre-defined criteria (specified through top-dow procedures).
- Eligible costs
- Eligible costs are defined under the separate programmes funded through the NTF.
- Volumes of funding
- Collected:2017: EUR 431 000 0002018: EUR 565 500 0002019: EUR 684 824 000Disbursed:2017: EUR 357 111 518 2018: EUR 415 360 217 2019: EUR 485 590 000
- Beneficiaries/take up
- Total beneficiaries (all programmes) 2016: 206 131 2017: 177 090 2018: 185 688 NB: 2019 figures still incomplete in the 2019 report.
- Organisation responsible for monitoring/evaluation
- Department for Education and Skills (audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General).
- Monitoring/evaluation reports available
- Review of National Training Fund (2018), Indecon: https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2018-press-rele…
- Most relevant webpage - in English
- https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Corporate-Reports/Financial-Re…
- Most relevant webpage - local language
- https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Corporate-Reports/Financial-Re…
- Recent changes
2019. Responsibility for the National Training Fund was shifted from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to the Department of Education and Skills. A reconfiguration of government departments
Recent changes in response to COVID-19
No changes
- Sources
- http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2000/en/act/pub/0041/
- https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Corporate-Reports/Financial-Re…
- https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2018-press-rele…
- https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/national-tra…
On this page:
- Short description
- Level of operation
- Name of a part of the country
- Name of the region (for regional instruments)
- Name of the sector (for sectoral instruments)
- Relevance
- Legal basis
- Objective(s) and target(s)
- Year of implementation
- Year of latest amendment
- Operation/management
- Eligible group(s)
- Group(s) with preferential treatment
- Education and training eligible
- Source of financing and collection mechanism
- Financing formula and allocation mechanisms
- Eligible costs
- Volumes of funding
- Beneficiaries/take up
- Organisation responsible for monitoring/evaluation
- Monitoring/evaluation reports available
- Most relevant webpage - in English
- Most relevant webpage - local language
- Recent changes
- Sources