The Department of Education has said that more than 300 homemakers have taken up places this year in State-supported third level courses designed to help fill skills gaps in the economy.
Homemakers became eligible to participate in courses under the Springboard programme for the first time this autumn.
The vast majority of those who took up places this year are women (86%).
The programme gives people the opportunity to retrain in areas of skills shortages through free third-level courses at certificate, degree, and masters level.
The Department of Education said almost 4,500 people have accepted places in more than 200 courses.
The majority have chosen courses in manufacturing, business and entrepreneurship, or information or communications technology.
The scheme is mainly targeted at unemployed people, however this year it has also been opened up to include people who already have jobs.
The latest data shows that more than 1,000 employed people have availed of the opportunity, beginning courses in the advanced manufacturing and biopharma/medtech sectors.
The department said that more than two thirds of participants find employment in their area of study within six months of completing their course.
Last week, Minister for Education Richard Bruton said his department was considering whether to extend the scheme to allow homemakers to retrain as teachers in specific subject areas where teacher shortages were currently being experienced.
That would see homemakers who are graduates completing the same two-year masters course currently required of all trainee teachers.
However, Mr Bruton’s suggestion received a frosty reception from teachers on social media, who complained that the way to address the teacher shortage was to improve teachers' pay.
