The UK Department for Education has launched a new online learning platform called the Skills Toolkit to help boost the nation’s skills during lockdown.
The new platform, hosted on the gov.uk website, gives people access to free, high-quality courses to help build up their digital and numeracy skills. Given the likelihood that people will continue to work and study from home over the coming months, the courses provide an opportunity to develop new skills and gain the knowledge that employers are looking for in the future.
The courses are provided by renowned institutions and delivered on specialist educational websites including FutureLearn, Google Digital Garage, Good Things Foundation, OpenLearn and others. The course content covers a range of interests and skill levels from basic digital and numeracy skills to more advanced training for use in the workplace. These are all short courses that can be completed at home, in your own time, at your own pace.
Following guidance from experts and leading employers, the courses have been selected to meet the needs of business today and in the future with a view to longer-term recovery to boost employability across the country. The UK Government are also encouraging employers to make use of The Skills Toolkit to upskill furloughed employees.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "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." He added: "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."
Simon Nelson, CEO of FutureLearn, said: “At FutureLearn our mission has always been to transform access to education and we are proud to be working with the Department for Education to deliver on that shared vision. We hope that the free digital skills courses included within the Skills Toolkit, which were built in partnership with Accenture, the Institute of Coding, and the University of Leeds, will bring practical and accessible support to people across the country, and ensure that individuals and businesses are able to access the skills and training opportunities they need to keep thriving and moving forward, not just during this challenging period, but beyond it.”
Explore The Skills Toolkit Courses Here ►
The new platform, hosted on the gov.uk website, gives people access to free, high-quality courses to help build up their digital and numeracy skills. Given the likelihood that people will continue to work and study from home over the coming months, the courses provide an opportunity to develop new skills and gain the knowledge that employers are looking for in the future.
The courses are provided by renowned institutions and delivered on specialist educational websites including FutureLearn, Google Digital Garage, Good Things Foundation, OpenLearn and others. The course content covers a range of interests and skill levels from basic digital and numeracy skills to more advanced training for use in the workplace. These are all short courses that can be completed at home, in your own time, at your own pace.
Following guidance from experts and leading employers, the courses have been selected to meet the needs of business today and in the future with a view to longer-term recovery to boost employability across the country. The UK Government are also encouraging employers to make use of The Skills Toolkit to upskill furloughed employees.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "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." He added: "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."
Simon Nelson, CEO of FutureLearn, said: “At FutureLearn our mission has always been to transform access to education and we are proud to be working with the Department for Education to deliver on that shared vision. We hope that the free digital skills courses included within the Skills Toolkit, which were built in partnership with Accenture, the Institute of Coding, and the University of Leeds, will bring practical and accessible support to people across the country, and ensure that individuals and businesses are able to access the skills and training opportunities they need to keep thriving and moving forward, not just during this challenging period, but beyond it.”
Explore The Skills Toolkit Courses Here ►