Irish Rural Link offer training in keeping with our objective of supporting rural communities to tackle all forms of disadvantage and exclusion and develop their full potential.

This includes:

Community Powerdown

FETAC award training

Driver CPC training

Tailored Community Development Training

Making the Planning System work for your Community

We are also able to provide staff development training, competencies development training andintegration training. Irish Rural Link are able to offer education and training to various groups in a wide range of contexts and in innovative ways, tailored to and informed by local circumstances, knowledge and requirements.

Irish Rural Link is working in collaboration with Cultivate to deliver Community Powerdown Training nationwide.

The objective of the Community Powerdown Training course is to nurture community leadership in sustainability and support a strategic shift towards global citizenship, ecological thinking and local resilience.

The programme aims to engage rural communities in a way that will
a. Educate and inform them on the environmental challenges ahead and;
b. Equip them with the know how to adapt and use the change as an opportunity to strengthen rural communities.

Irish Rural Link can arrange to have the ‘Community Powerdown Programme’ delivered to community groups and welcome applications.  Enquiries can be made by contacting the office on 090 6482744 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Our trainers are geographically spread throughout the country and will work with the specific needs of the group.  It may be possible to secure funding for the training.

Irish Rural Link is registered with FETAC (Further Education and Training Awards Council) to offer programmes leading to FETAC awards in the National Framework of Qualifications and has agreed its quality assurance procedures with FETAC. IRL have also applied to FÁS for Registration as an Approved Training Organisation.

 Training can now be provided include modules to FETAC level 6 on
• Community Development Practice;
• Social Analysis ;
• Community Development Theory ;
• Conflict Management ;
• Group Work Theory and Practice ;
• Community Organisation Management;
• Communications;
• Assessment Practice;
• Self Advocacy
• Environmental Studies.

Irish Rural Link Cooperative Society Ltd, Moate, Co. Westmeath is delighted to announce that it is now a fully certified Training Centre approved by the RSA. Click here to download our driver CPC training leaflet.

Click here to download the course outline and booking form .  Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) is a new dimension for the transport industry in Ireland. Driver CPC puts in place ongoing training for all professional Bus and Truck drivers in line with what has historically been happening in other EU states.
All new bus and truck drivers are now required to pass 2 two hour theory tests and a 30 minute practical test as well as the current driving test in order to obtain Driver CPC. The theory tests and the practical test are developed to ensure the applicant has a comprehensive knowledge of the Rules of the Road and of the skills and professionalism to be a full time driver of a bus and truck. On passing all examinations a driver will be issued with a Driver CPC Qualification Card which they will require in addition to their driving licence.
There are six training modules in total, each of 7 hours duration with additional reading material to cover specific areas.

The titles of the modules are;

• Control of the Vehicle and Eco Driving Techniques.
• Minimising Risks and Managing Emergencies in the Transport Industry.
• Health and Safety for the Professional Driver.
• Role of the Professional Driver in the Transport Industry.
• The Professional Truck Driver.
• The Professional Bus Driver.

CPC Driver training is now compulsory for all drivers with a C, C1, D licence and a D1 licence. As part of the new driver CPC system introduced by the RSA, all drivers must have started these courses by 31st of December 2009 (bus drivers) and 10th of September 2010 (truck drivers). The first 4 modules are common for both the truck and bus driver, with the last modules specialising in Professional Bus or Professional Truck driving.
The RSA are fully aware that this new obligation on drivers to participate in training is a fundamental change on how the industry’s drivers have been trained previously. Driver CPC will lead to a change in the perception that driving professionally can be achieved by a once off test. It will now be seen as a profession which has continuous training and development of skills as a requirement. The Irish Driver in the Transport industry will be on an equal if not better professional standard than his European counterparts due to the system put in place by the industry in conjunction with the RSA.
Training will be carried out by RSA approved training providers

DATES
Irish Rural Link are scheduling training for Transport Organisations from January 2010

TO INCLUDE
Full day: Registration for training is at 8.30 am and the day runs until 5pm.

There is free parking available.
All materials, tea/coffee, hot dinner will be supplied.

For more information please contact:
Maria on 090 6482744 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Further details on the CPC training process are available from the RSA website, click here

Tailored Community Development Training

Irish Rural Link also offers tailored Community Development training which is delivered to the highest standards. This training will be of use to new and emerging community groups, as well as established groups. This training can cover topics such as:

Community Structures, Local Development Context, Strategic Planning, Finance & Funding Opportunities, Community Engagement & Volunteering, Needs Analysis & Resource Audit, Development of Action Plans and Communications.

Making the Planning System work for your Community

With the growing challenge of maintaining economically, environmentally and socially sustainable rural communities it is vital that communities understand the planning system and Development Plan process.

Local Area Plans, County Development Plans and Regional Planning Guidelines are some of the planning frameworks and strategies which impact on rural communities and it can be difficult for rural communities to appreciate the importance of these in their day to day lives unless they have had direct experiences of their impacts.

Compiled and delivered by a qualified planner “Making the Planning System work for your Community” examines the Planning System and Development Plan process, the impact of Plans and how communities can make submissions and have their voices heard in this vital, but sometimes confusing, process.

Tailored to local circumstances, this training will upskill, support and facilitate communities to better understand how the system works and make influential submissions on Plans or proposals. For more information on this course contact the office on 090 6482744 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .