Free training programmes

The Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (the LEP) and West Yorkshire Combined Authority launch the first part of a programme of support to help workers and young people develop new skills during lockdown.

The new online package of support includes free digital skills courses through the [re]boot programme, and new remote learning resources for parents and teachers to improve the employability of young people through the FutureGoals Remote initiative.

Based on national trends identified in a recent Covid-19 ONS survey, the LEP believes as many as 387,000 workers could be furloughed in Leeds City Region. In response, the LEP and its partners have adapted skills schemes to be delivered online (the (re)boot programme), to ensure that people currently furloughed have an opportunity to gain the right skills needed by employers across the City Region.

The Leeds City Region Labour Market Information Report 2019 identified skills valued by high growth professional services and tech businesses. As a result, the FutureGoals Remote initiative is designed to inspire the next generation, currently studying from home, to plan careers and develop relevant skills whilst based at home.

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Chair of West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leader of Bradford Council, said:

“As businesses adapt to new ways of working as a result of Covid-19, we want to empower the region’s workforce by providing the opportunity to learn new skills. These new, online programmes have been designed to inspire, retrain and upskill people.  Those who have been furloughed with sector-specific skills might want to improve their future career options.  The skills we can offer are based on the skills employers have told us they need.

“I’d like to thank our partners for their dedication and the speed with which they have created these new training resources. We hope that people will take full advantage of them so that we can all be prepared for the economic recovery.”

Roger Marsh OBE DL, Chair of the LEP said:

“It’s vital to ensure we support businesses with the skills needed for the recovery. It’s great to see these initiatives launched giving people who are furloughed the opportunity to boost their digital skills in lockdown.” 

The new home-learning resources include:

• [re]boot (funded through the European Social Fund) courses focus on digital skills identified in a recent LEP survey as in high demand by local employers, including digital marketing, data analysis, productivity and coding. The courses run on a part-time basis, with most teaching in the early evenings, to allow learners to structure activity around work and family commitments and are delivered in partnership with the West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges (WYCC) and Leeds Trinity University.
• FutureGoals Remote, a brand new series of free interactive activities to help young people develop skills from home during the lockdown. The activities feature baseline skills identified by employers in the latest Leeds City Region Labour Market Information Report, including digital, communication, problem solving and creative skills, and are designed to help young people to develop their employability and careers awareness.

Educators, careers advisers, parents or influencers of young people are encouraged to download the free Remote resources at www.futuregoals.co.uk/remote

Eligible participants for the [re]boot courses must be over the age of 18, currently in employment or furloughed, and living in Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield or York.