A new online learning platform to help boost the nation’s skills while people are staying at home has been launched by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, and Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP) are encouraging Cumbria’s residents and employers to utilise this free, useful resource.
Courses are available through a new online platform hosted on the gov.uk website, called The Skills Toolkit. The new platform, www.gov.uk/theskillstoolkit, gives people access to free, high-quality digital and numeracy courses to help build up their skills, progress in work and boost their job prospects.
These are the skills which are highly valued by employers and sought after in a wide range of jobs. With more people expected to be working and studying remotely in the coming months, the platform offers a great opportunity to learn new skills to help to get ahead online and gain the knowledge we’ll all need for the future. The platform also offers employees who have been furloughed an opportunity to keep up their skills development while they are at home.
Courses on offer cover a range of levels, from everyday maths and tools for using email and social media more effectively at work to more advanced training. Individuals will be able to access courses helping them to create great online content developed by the University of Leeds and the Institute of Coding, to understand the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing from Google Digital Garage and to learn how to code for data analysis from the Open University. All courses are online and flexible, so people can work through them at their own pace.
Mike Smith OBE, CLEP Board Member and Chair of its People, Employment and Skills Strategy Group, said: “The Skills Toolkit is designed to help people gain new skills while they are staying at home to boost their confidence, improve their job prospects and aid career progression. Online learning is a great way for people to upgrade their skills at any time, but never more so than during lockdown.
The Toolkit has a heavy emphasis on the skills that businesses need, with courses selected on the advice of experts and leading employers to make sure they meet the needs of business, not just for today but in the future.
The impact of COVID-19 has shown how important digital skills are – both for work and other aspects of our lives. Technology is going to play a hugely important role in our economic recovery and this new platform will help ensure everyone is able to improve their digital skills and take advantage of the opportunities ahead.
This is an important step in assisting with longer-term recovery to boost employability across the county, helping people to build up the skills employers need during time spent at home.
Employers are also encouraged to use The Skills Toolkit to help to support and develop furloughed employees who are interested in learning from home. I’d encourage all businesses to make their staff aware of this learning opportunity.”
The Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, said: “I know how difficult the recent months have been and the huge changes the coronavirus has brought on the daily lives of us all.
“The high-quality and free to access courses on offer on our new online learning platform, The Skills Toolkit, will help those whose jobs have been affected by the outbreak, and people looking to boost their skills while they are staying at home, protecting the NHS and saving lives.
“I want businesses to encourage their furloughed employees to use The Skills Toolkit to improve their knowledge, build their confidence and support their mental health so they have skills they need to succeed after the coronavirus outbreak.”
