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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 (Employment for People from Immigrant Communities), our employment programme which works with immigrants and refugees to help them integrate into Irish society.

We work in partnership with businesses to provide specialised supports. Immigrants and refugees looking for employment and 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.

EPIC is an initiative that to date has impacted the lives of over 3,000 people from 101 nationalities. 68% of our clients have found jobs or entered training or are volunteering. The programme is part supported by the Department of Justice and Equality and the European Social Fund (ESF) 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. 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.

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 – 3rd Floor Phibsborough Tower Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7. 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 access to health, employment rights and entitlements, social welfare,  and access to education. 

Duration: 6 weeks. It runs Monday to Friday -first 3 weeks 10am to 1pm, last 3 weeks 2 to 4:30pm-

Start date End date
Group 1: January 15 February 23
Group 2: January 5 March 16
Group 3: February 26 April 13
Group 4: March 20 May 4
Group 5: April 16 May 25
Group 6: May 8 June 15
Group 7: May 28 July 6
Group 8: June 18 July 27
Group 9: July 9 August 31
Group 10: August 13 September 21
Group 11: September 3 October 12
Group 12: September 24 November 2
Group 13: October 15 November 23
Group 14: November 5 December 14

As part of the service package Career Counsellors 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