The EGF was established by the 
European Union (EU) in 2006 to enable individual Member States to
provide assistance to workers made redundant as a result of
major shifts in global trade patterns.
The EGF have up to €500 million available each year.
The EGF helps workers find new jobs and develop new skills when they have lost their jobs as a result of:
changing global trade patterns, e.g. when a large company shuts down or a factory is moved to outside the EU
or
global financial and economic crisis.
The EGF provides co-financed assistance to individual Member States to provide programmes and services to workers made redundant as a result of the adverse impacts of globalisation.
The types of services and programmes eligible for EGF support include career advice and guidance, education and training courses, and enterprise supports.
To be eligible for support from the EGF individual redundant workers must meet a number of conditions. In the case of redundant construction workers they must have:
– been made redundant between 1st July 2009 and 31st March 2010
– worked in one of three specified sectors within the overall construction sector
– been identified in one to the three approved EGF Construction Applications.
All redundant workers eligible for support under the three EGF Construction Programmes will have been notified of their eligibility by letter. They will also have been provided with an EGF Eligibility Number.
On the 19th December 2011, a notification letter was issued to a total of 8,779 construction workers and apprentices eligible for support from the EGF.
If you have not received a letter from the EGF Managing Authority in the Department of Education and Skills and still wish to check your eligibility you can contact the EGF Construction Contact Centre.
EGF Training Grants pay fees for approved courses in private education and training companies.
EGF Grants range in value and can be as high as €5,000.
Before you can apply for an EGF Training Grant you will need to identify an approved training course that can be completed before Friday 8th June 2012.