What is eCollege?

eCollege is a way of taking training courses online in a variety of subjects. These include business, graphic design, software development and project management. The service is run by SOLAS and is available to jobseekers free of charge. If you’re looking for a way to boost your CV and pick up valuable skills, eCollege might be just the thing for you.

Who can take an eCollege course?

eCollege courses are available to anyone who wants them. If you’re already in work and looking to upskill, you can take any of the courses for a fee. Employers can also get a subsidised rate if they want to encourage their staff to take one of the online courses.

eCollege courses are available free-of-charge to people who are getting jobseeker’s payments, disability allowance or One Parent Family Allowance, as well as people signing on for credits. You continue to get your payments while taking the course.

Why study online?

Learning skills online through eCollege has a few advantages. Most importantly it lets you log on and learn at times that suit you. You can move through the material at your own pace and log on from any location. Working through the course from home or wherever else suits you gives you a lot of freedom. But you also have support: the eTutor Support system is a vital part of the eCollege experience. There are 15 eTutors who work Monday-Friday that can be messaged with any questions or problems you have. They can call or message you back with the extra information you need.

What courses can I take?

Online courses are available in a variety of subjects. All courses from eCollege lead to an industry recognised certification. You can choose to be trained in any of the following areas:

• Basic Computer Literacy
• Business
• Cisco systems
• Digital Marketing
• Graphic Design
• Project Management
• Software Development
• SQL (database communication)
• Web Design

How do I register for a course?

If you’re paying for a course, you just need to sign up at www.ecollege.ie and complete the online registration form. If you are unemployed and want to take a free eCollege course, you can register at your local employment services office.

Taking exams

Although you can do most of the course wherever you like, in order to do exams or assessments you’ll have to go to an approved test centre. The exams or assessments are released online but have to be completed at an approved test centre. You call ahead and book a computer in the test centre for a specific time and day. If you’re paying for your course, you can pay the exam fees to the test centre either in advance or on the day of the exam. 

Need more information?

We are here to answer your questions and talk through your options. Our online chat service is for 16 to 25 year olds and is available Monday to Friday, 4pm to 8pm. Chat to us now about your situation.

• Chat now to a trained Youth Information Officer
• Or leave us a message and we will email you back