About
The Fellowship Training Programme was Irish Aid's first scholarship programme, begun in 1974. Since that time, it has brought suitably qualified candidates from developing countries to undertake Masters degrees at universities and colleges in Ireland, with further students supported for similar courses in their own region.
Awards are made in fields such as development studies, rural development, health care, education and law with the aim of supporting and enhancing the contribution recipients can make to Irish Aid's partner organisations. Fellowship eligibility requirements aim to ensure close alignment with Irish Aid's programmatic approach.
The scholarship award covers course fees, required flights, accommodation (for out of country study), monthly allowances, insurance and other incidental expenses. Eligible Masters programmes in Ireland commence in the period August to September each year and, depending on the course, scholarships will run for between 10 and 16 months.
Fellowship Overview
Irish Aid is the Irish Government’s programme for overseas development, managed by the Development Co-operation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We provide a broad programme of support to capacity building in developing countries
As part of this overall mission, Irish Aid Fellowships aim to address capacity deficits that hinder the attainment of long-term development goals through the training and development of key individuals, generally drawn from the public services and NGO sectors.
Operating for over 40 years, Irish Aid Fellowships have supported more than 2,000 successful awardees who have returned to their organisations on completing their studies, committed to putting their acquired knowledge and skills into practice for the benefit of the wider community. Some of their stories can be found in the case study profiles throughout this site.
Irish Aid concentrates long term development assistance in nine Key Partner Countries - mainly in sub-Saharan Africa - and a small number of other countries affected by conflict. Fellowships are targetted to specific countries in the same way. Potential applicants should carefully note all eligibility requirements. These may include being employed by an Irish Aid partner organisation. Applicants who do not meet eligibility criteria will not be considered.
The closing date for applications to commence studies for 2017-18 is 30th November 2016. Applications forms and required documents should be printed and submitted to the Embassy of Ireland indicated below.
Elligible Countries
The countries eligible for Irish Aid Fellowships are Burundi, Ethiopia, Laos, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar, Palestine, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Details of the different fellowship strands and eligibility critera are set out in the "For Applicants" section in the original web page.
Eligible Courses
Relevant Masters programmes in Ireland and regionally. A directory listing all eligible courses for study in Ireland is available to applicants, covering programmes in up to 12 subject areas (some variations by country apply).
Eligibility
To be eligible, applicants must
- be a citizen of one of the partner countries named above and be residing in that country.
- be employed by and supported in their application by an Irish Aid partner organisation.
- have a minimum of three years relevant work experience.
- be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to the development of their home country have identified up to two relevant and eligible Taught Masters or Postgraduate Diploma courses in Ireland or within their own region.
- be able to take up the fellowship in the academic year for which it is offered.
- provide a letter from their employer granting study leave for the duration of the fellowship and guaranteeing that they will be able to return to an equivalent position in the organisation at the end of the fellowship period.
- apply using the correct application form and by the stated deadline.
For study in Ireland, applicants must also
- be able to demonstrate skills in academic English by achieving an appropriate score on a recognised test (IELTS 6.5)
- nominate courses marked as applicable for their home country from the directory of eligible courses.
Note: Application for the Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme is by invitation, not open call. Irish Embassies and Missions begin inviting applications from partner organisations and Ministries in September of each year.
Applications
Applications will not be considered for this fellowship unless all eligibility criteria are met. You should carefully check that you can meet the above criteria before requesting application information (You will get the application information only after requesting it on the original web page).
Management and Administration
Policy and strategic decisions regarding Irish Aid Fellowships are determined by Irish Aid headquarters in Limerick, Ireland.
Day-to-day management arrangements for each of the different fellowship strands will involve some or all of the following:
Irish embassies - handling initial applications and short-listing, IELTS (English language) testing and financial administration for regional fellows.
Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) - handling applications short-listed by embassies on behalf of Irish Aid and providing a range of support services for fellowship holders.
The Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) is contracted by Irish Aid as the managing agency for its Fellowship Programmes. ICOS is an independent non-profit organisation that promotes best practice in relation to the recruitment, access and support of international students in Irish education.
ICOS works closely with the Irish Aid Directorate in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (access via original web page) on the management and administration of fellowships, as well as with embassies and colleges. Specific responsibilities include handling short-listed applications, placement administration, travel and accommodation services as well financial management and practical support to fellowship awardees while they are in Ireland.
ICOS arranges small group briefings for Irish Aid fellows on arrival, an orientation day that brings together all new awardees and a number of social events throughout the year.
Alumni networking is also facilitated by ICOS in conjunction with embassies.
Colleges - undertaking certain fellowship management functions on behalf of Irish Aid (e.g. organising accommodation) in cases where the fellowship strand is operated in partnership with a specific college.
For more information click "Further official information" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.irishaidfellowships.ie/strands/fellowship-training-programme