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Free Training for Businesses to Meet Skills Gaps

East Surrey College is delighted to be a partner in the Innovation South Virtual Campus (ISVC) project to launch a range of free online courses to help employers fill digital skills gaps in their businesses.

This ground-breaking project initiated by a group of Colleges and Universities in the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) area aims to transform access to vital work-focused training such as cyber security and digital skills across the region.

The group, comprising Sparsholt College, Basingstoke College of Technology, and Royal Holloway, University of London, working with colleagues from East Surrey College and University of Chichester has developed an online platform to deliver blended vocational online learning to employees.

This ‘virtual campus’ offers a skills-focused range of short programmes, giving individuals the opportunity to learn a new skill and become an expert in a specific field without the need to take a whole qualification at every level. The range of short courses has been chosen based on research that has highlighted digital skills in businesses that may be missing or are highly sought after. This covers key areas such as Digital Marketing, Competitor Analysis, and IT Skills including software development and cyber security. Varying levels of each course are offered to suit each learner’s current skillset and experience.

Funded by the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in collaboration with regional colleges and universities, ISVC’s skills-focused, bite-sized range of programmes have been designed to upskill and re-skill employees in businesses big and small - all without a cost to them or their employees!

Richard Pearce, Director of Higher Education at East Surrey College commented:

“We are proud to help launch this innovative project. In this current climate it has never been more important to give employers the opportunity to upskill their staff through online learning. We are delighted to support businesses in the region with our range of skills-focused courses.”

Employees can create an account, browse the range of courses on offer and be on their way to a whole new world of learning: http://isl.skillset.co.uk