A further €13.5m (£12m) from the Shared Island fund will provide for 1,000 additional places for early years educators to upskill and with 40% of these new places dedicated for participants from Northern Ireland.

A training and capacity-building programme with tailored resources to support the needs of all young children as well as those with additional needs will also be put in place in over 10,500 early learning and childcare services, including registered childminders, across the island.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin said the government made a “major investment for our shared future on the island of Ireland with €377m (£325m) committed through the Shared Island Fund for 12 new programmes.”

“This brings total government allocations from the fund so far to over €1bn (£862m), building a more connected, sustainable and prosperous island for all communities,” he said.