The back to education allowance is a second chance education opportunities programme. It is designed to encourage and facilitate certain groups who are receiving social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active workforce.
Information on the number of new applications received for the back to education allowance is available only in respect of people pursuing third level courses. They must also be in receipt of either unemployment benefit, unemployment assistance, farm assist or disability benefit prior to participation in the scheme. The information requested is not available to people in receipt of other qualifying payments who account for about one-third of all new applications:
2001-02 academic year — 1,586 new applications received of which 1,096 were approved;
2002-03 academic year — 2,207 new applications received of which 1,581 were approved;
2003-04 academic year — 2,233 new applications received of which 1,515 were approved;