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Employment and Training for immigrants-The EPIC Programme

Under Business in the Community Ireland’s Business Action on Employment, we have EPIC, our employment programme which works with immigrants and refugees to help them integrate into Irish society.

Employment and education are key factors in promoting integration of immigrants, who comprise 12% of the Irish population. Immigrants and refugees looking for employment and/or education recognise the lack of Irish work experience, interview preparation and the understanding of the Irish standards when preparing CV and Cover letter as strong obstacles to succeed in their applications.

Our EPIC (Employment for People from Immigrant Communities) Programme is an initiative that to date has impacted the lives of over 2,600 people from over 100 nationalities. 67% of our clients have found jobs or entered training or are volunteering. EPIC brings huge benefits to immigrants and refugees in terms of improving their English language, their job seeking skills, raising their motivation and confidence, increasing their understanding of the work environment and the Irish system; building their networks and promoting overall social integration. The programme is part supported by the Department of Justice and Equality and the European Social Fund (ESF) Fund 2014-2020 as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020.

Under our Business Action on Employment we also run Ready for Work, our employment programme that provides work experience, training and guidance to people with high barriers to employment. Barriers may include experiences of homelessness, mental ill health, addiction and early school leaving. Further information on Ready for Work is here.

Watch the video to learn about how EPIC supports immigrants and refugees by increasing their job readiness and helping them to settle in Ireland.

EPIC increases the job seeking skills of immigrants and refugees using a needs assessment and a client centred approach. It provides pre-employment training, One-to-One support and opportunities for work experience.

Download BITCI Employment Programmes Application Form

Please fill in the application form and email it to epic@bitc.ie . Alternatively, you can drop it into our offices – 30/31 Lower O’Connell St. Paper copies of the application form are also available at our offices.

  • Covers business vocabulary, CV and cover letter writing techniques; identifying and describing skills; telephone skills for job interviews and in the workplace; advice on how to look for a job.
  • Interview preparation includes tips and advice from employers, how to handle difficult interview questions, and the opportunity to do mock interviews
  • IT Skills Training –focusing on the use of Microsoft Office Word and Excel.
  • Information sessions on a variety of themes to facilitate networking, understanding of the Irish system and to promote social integration. Topics covered include employment rights and entitlements, social welfare, access to health and equality and diversity in the work place. 

Duration: 6 weeks

Start date End date
Group 1: January 9 February 17
Group 2: January 30 March 10
Group 3: February 20 March 31
Group 4: March 13 April 28
Group 5: April 3 May 19
Group 6: May 2 June 9
Group 7: May 22 June 30
Group 8: June 12 July 21
Group 9: July 3 August 25
Group 10: August 8 September 15
Group 11: August 28 October 6
Group 12: September 18 October 27
Group 13: October 9 November 17
Group 14: October 31 December 8

As part of the service package Training and Employment Officers (TEOs) with expertise and wide experience in career advice and job placement, provide one-to-one support sessions on the various steps required in seeking new employment or education.

Supports include CV and interview preparation, psychometric testing, coaching for interviews as well as working with the participant to source and secure further education or employment.

  • Work experience opportunities
  • Social Support – advice on Social Welfare, housing, family and other issues
  • Mentoring service
  • Advice for entrepreneurs
  • Free access to computers for online job searching
  • Certificate of Participation upon completion of the Training

Participants must first meet three essential criteria in order to be eligible

  • Status– Participants must be adults from non-EU states with Stamp 4 or from EU states entitled to work in Ireland
  • Location – As our EPIC Programme is based in Dublin, participants must be based in Dublin or the Greater Dublin Area
  • Level of English – Participants should have intermediate to high level of both written and spoken English. The English language level will be assessed prior to joining the programme.
For further information please contact:

Caitríona Mac Aonghusa
Employment Programme Coordinator

01 874 3840

epic@bitc.ie

Download the Guide for Migrant Jobseekers in Ireland

Find the EPIC Programme on Facebook