Going back to work with Momentum

First rolled out in February of last year by CPL Learning and Development, the government’s Momentum project is improving opportunities for the long-term unemployed.

Michael O’Driscoll had been unemployed for two years when he took the Momentum course, and upon completion he successfully gained employment as a quality manager at Turners Printing in Longford town.

“I had been working in the construction industry,” Michael explained. “However, after the downturn I found myself in the unfortunate position of not being able to find any work.”

Michael had partially completed a course in Sligo IT when he decided to switch to a Momentum course.

“It had a lot of the same modules, and it also offered work placement. There was an intense 20-week classroom period, which covered 13 modules, with assignments, projects and written exams. It’s like a bootcamp for people looking to re-skill.”

After that, he began a 20-week work placement with Turners, and was offered a job after finishing it.

“It put into practice the theory I learned on the course, and it gave me a chance to prove myself,” he concluded.