In response to the economic impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic, Colleges in the West Midlands have come together to work collaboratively for you!
For the first time, there is a Regional Skills Recovery Programme that will provide YOU with access to FREE training across the West Midlands. Which will enable you to refresh or redevelop your career and reignite your future.
Working closely with our partners, West Midlands Combined Authority, the National Careers Service, DWP and Jobcentre Plus, we have made these free courses and learning pathways available to you, no matter your age or circumstances!
If your employment has suffered due to Covid-19, or you are looking to upskill or change your pathway, you can refresh or redevelop your skills for free which will enable you to reignite your passion and secure your future career.
We can support you! These programmes will help businesses re-establish themselves and flourish again. We do this by continually increasing the number of higher level and technical skills development opportunities, required by employers.
Whatever happens, as Covid-19 continues to impact on our daily lives, our colleges are committed to providing you with a safe learning environment. However, should access to college sites be restricted, we have developed in-depth online resources and new strategies which guarantee to provide all learners with a high-quality programme of study.
Covid-19 has made life difficult, we are here to help with a wide range of FREE programmes to get you back on track.
Our Offer
Following the challenges presented by Covid-19, we have developed a new Regional Skills Recovery Programme. These programmes are specifically designed to help you get back into work or move into a new career. Flexible approaches to study are available NOW.
This includes blended and online delivery options, programmes to support adults through redundancy and re-employment, development linked to priority sectors of need and high-level professional updating programmes.
Adults will be able to enrol online without needing to go into a college and be able to access individual advice guidance and careers support remotely.
If you are looking to enhance your current education level, we have also introduced a funded training to get people into priority job areas with the potential for better career prospects or a route to higher level training.
If you are unemployed, recently redundant, or long-term furloughed and concerned about your future prospects, or just wanting to increase your skills we are offering you access to an expanded range of redeployment programmes to enable a prompt return to employment.
Whatever your current circumstances, we can offer support. If you are employed, you could still access this training if you are looking to retrain into a priority sector. If you are worried about losing your job in sectors which have been hugely affected by Covid-19, you could be retrained for free.
Sector Based Work Academy Working Programmes (SWAPs)
Sign up to a Sector Based Work Academy Programme and accelerate your return to employment. Delivered in conjunction with employers who are recruiting, completing a SWAP will help you apply for a job in a new area of work. Work placements and employer support will help you develop your immediate and future skills needs, enabling you to gain employment. You could be back into work in no time and, whilst you are retraining, you will not lose your benefits!
Sector Based Work Academy Programmes are designed to help meet your immediate and future skills gaps to enable you to gain employment.
SWAPs typically last up to 6 weeks and contain three main components to help your clients back to work:
pre-employment training
work experience placements
a guaranteed job interview or help with an employer’s recruitment process.
Choose your location and a subject area of interest below to see a list of training programmes available.
Technical Training in Priority Sectors
In conjunction with partners we have identified sectors that are continuing to grow and increase their workforce despite the impact of Covid-19.
Retrain for FREE to enable you to gain a new role in a priority sector such as Health Care, Digital or Construction. These are all adult offer, fully funded Level 3 courses.
We have worked with the West Midlands Combined Authority to develop a range of fully funded qualifications that offer technical training that will enhance an individual’s current education level and increase their skills so that they can pursue a career in those growth priority sectors. They are free, part-time courses that will enable you to upskill whilst you continue to work.
Sector Based Work Academy Working Programmes (SWAPs)