Thousands of young people who are unemployed and struggling to find work are being offered a chance to boost their skillset, thanks to a new initiative from Study Academy.
The online skills hub has teamed up with education charity EmployabilityUK, offering more than 24,000 free courses to help fledgling workers learn something new.
It’s part of a wider project aiming to give people a second chance if they have lost their jobs or have found themselves unemployable during the Covid pandemic.
Now, organisers at Study Academy hope that, within six months, they will be able to give away more than 50,000 sponsored courses to workers across the UK through the scheme.
Founder John Loveday said: “This is a great partnership, EmployabilityUK has a mission that is very much aligned to this initiative. The partnership means we can impact more people with our courses and support those that really need it, helping to improve their employability skills, raise their confidence and help prepare them for employment opportunities in the near future.”
The new partnership comes after UK redundancies reached their highest since 2009, leaving an estimated 1.5million people unemployed, with the under 24’s severely affected.
And with many businesses still closed and unable to re-open due to current restrictions, the job pool is becoming smaller than ever, particularly as jobs are moved online and become less localised.
It means that, not only are many young people now entering the job market with less opportunities available, but they are also being forced to compete with those who may already have decades of experience.
However, through the initiative, it’s hoped they will be able to take that first step onto the job ladder sooner than expected, while giving them something to work for during a time of great uncertainty – or at least boost their CVs.
Di Vernon, CEO for EmployabilityUK, said: “EmployabilityUK works to improve the confidence, aspirations and work readiness of young people. Our partnership with Study Academy is key to supporting more young people and will enrich our post-programme support area. Designed to signpost opportunities and provide further training, our 360Extranet is growing rapidly. We are delighted to be partnering with Study Academy to bring their high-quality training courses to our young people, further complementing a comprehensive package of support.”
Each course is being funded through corporate sponsors, meaning that students don’t have to pay a penny towards training and can study from the comfort of home.
And, as a trusted training provider, learners can be confident that any course they choose to study is completely worthwhile, with over 20 courses available.
With the launch of the partnership, John added: “Diane and Dal have been great in supporting us and, without great partners and great sponsors, this initiative would never have gotten off the ground.”
Corporate sponsorship for courses is still open and starts from as little as £1 per course (with no limit to how many are sponsored). To find out more information on how to get involved, email the team at corporate@studyacademy.co.uk.
If you’re struggling to find work, though, read more about the free course initiative right here and register for your free account today.
Study Academy Sponsors Include: Touchwood Shopping Centre, BizBritain, Move it or Lose it, pirkx, EYC Global, Rite Flank and many others
