The Government\u2019s Toolkit launched last month to share free learning<\/a> has seen tens of thousands of course starts in free digital and numeracy learning across the country. Among them are the OU’s existing three courses in beginner’s maths, cyber security and learning to code as well as more by its partner FutureLearn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two new courses are among four being added to the platform by the Government. They are: Introduction to Bookkeeping<\/a>, giving an introduction to the essential skills and concepts of bookkeeping and accounting and Discovering Computer Networks: a hands on in the Open Networking Lab<\/a> (in collaboration with Cisco<\/a>), an advanced level course covering how computer networks operate and how data is sent around the internet. Both can be found on the OU\u2019s free online learning platform OpenLearn<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the launch of the Toolkit the OU has seen high numbers of registrations onto its existing three free courses Everyday Maths has seen the highest volume of visitors (over 30,000) with Learning to Code next (26,000) followed by Cyber Security (11,542).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Skills Toolkit is available to everyone and has a range of courses from introductory to more advanced levels. Feedback from those who have already accessed the OU\u2019s free courses on the platform is very positive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thirty-five-year-old Richard from North Yorkshire completed the Learn to Code free course while he was furloughed for eight weeks during lockdown. He said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was very pleased there was an option to do something like this, that would brush up on my skills and top up my CV. I found the course easy to manage and very useful, suitable for all levels. I\u2019d definitely recommend it to anyone facing these tough times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking about the success of The Skills Toolkit, Gillian Keegan, Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019d like to congratulate the tens of thousands of people\nwho have already taken advantage of the range of high quality courses The\nSkills Toolkit has to offer. We\u2019ve had a fantastic response so far with more\nthan 136,000 starts on the courses featured since the platform launched last\nmonth. The good news is we have now added four new courses, expanding the range\nof free digital and numeracy courses available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is a difficult time for everyone, but we want as many people as possible to be able to continue to gain the skills and confidence that could help them to get ahead. With 82% of all job openings requesting digital skills, I\u2019d encourage anyone looking to learn something new, or any employers keen to help their employees keep up their development, to take a look and see what\u2019s on offer.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Professor Tim Blackman, Vice-Chancellor of The Open University<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe incredible volume of numbers starting these courses is proof\nthat providing digital learning to sharpen skills is both needed and welcomed,\nand we are absolutely delighted to be adding two more free courses to include\nentry level bookkeeping and computer networking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhatever your circumstances, whatever your level of educational background, The Open University allows you to gain new skills, improve your knowledge and increase your skillset ready for work and for getting on in the workplace.<\/p> \u201cWe are proud to be working with the UK Government and indeed with all <\/em>the OU\u2019s nation governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Together these collaborations form part of the OU\u2019s ongoing support to share our knowledge and expertise in the development of high-quality online teaching, supported by academic research.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe hope\nlearners continue to benefit in their hundreds and thousands from these free\ncourses, and for employers to back them too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A recent survey by the OU<\/a> taken up among more than 2,000 adults taken between April 28 and May 1st<\/sup>, commissioned by The Open University found a quarter (24%) of the UK workforce are learning new skills to mitigate against coronavirus uncertainty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\nThe results suggest that younger employees are particularly fearful that their skills could become obsolete. Over a third (39%) of 18-34-year-olds agreed that they would put their own money towards development opportunities if it made them more employable.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The OU\u2019s OpenLearn site has 15,000 hours of online courses and content offered to all, free of charge. Since the lockdown, the number of overall visitors per day to the site has trebled, with 2.5 million unique visits in April compared with an average of 0.8 million per month and more than 1 million course enrolments in the 8 weeks between lockdown beginning on 23 March and 17 May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nsuccess of the UK Government\u2019s Toolkit forms part of a bigger picture of\nsimilar successes in initiatives with the Welsh Government, Scottish Government\nand the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland, all reaching out to\nthose who may be affected by the impact of the pandemic on their employment or\nin looking for work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Open University is working in collaboration with Governments throughout the UK to share its free learning courses on OpenLearn to those who may be able to benefit at this time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In\nresponse to the coronavirus pandemic, the Welsh Government has compiled e-learning\nresources for furloughed workers<\/a> to improve their knowledge and skills, support\ntheir mental wellbeing and help them to prepare for the future. The package of\nsupport includes links to OpenLearn courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Open University in Wales is also working with the Welsh Government supporting post-16 education for schools and colleges<\/a> while they are closed. They have also been supporting teachers at Cardiff Council and Tenovus Cancer Care to access free online learning. More news on their site here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Audiologist Amy James, 28, from Cardiff, is currently on furlough leave. Before using OpenLearn, she had never done any distance learning. She has enrolled on OpenLearn\u2019s Managing my investments<\/a> course, which focusses on things like personal savings accounts, bonds and shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s so much choice on there. I\u2019ve been thinking about one of the management courses next, but for now I\u2019m focusing on improving my personal finance knowledge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Everyone will find something that they\u2019re interested in. I\u2019ve only been doing this for two weeks now, and I\u2019ve already got one of my friends doing a course.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Commenting on the Northern Ireland scheme with NIDirect<\/a>, Director of The Open University in Ireland, John Darcy said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/em>The OU is proud to support the Northern Ireland Executive with free online training provision for people across Northern Ireland who are furloughed or have lost their job as a result of coronavirus.<\/p> “Being able to support the local economy by providing free online learning, opens up education and support to all who really need it at this time and who want to develop their skills and help them look for work.” <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n “These courses in digital skills, employability and essential skills such as Maths and English are enabling many people to acquire the skills they need to succeed and contribute in an innovative way to their workplace.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Louise Casella, Director of The Open University in Wales said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe coronavirus pandemic has been a challenging time for everyone. Many of us have been cut off from our closest friends and family, and we\u2019ve been confined to our homes for much longer than we\u2019re used to. <\/p> “It\u2019s encouraging though that so many people in Wales are seeing the benefits of online learning and are trying something new through OpenLearn \u2013 all for free.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In Scotland, course number starts have soared, with latest figures showing more than 24,500 unique visitors to the OpenLearn pages since the OU connection with MyWorldOfWork<\/a> run by the Scottish Government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susan Stewart, Director of The Open University in Scotland, said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOpenLearn is a fantastic resource and I would encourage people across Scotland to try what\u2019s on offer, whether it\u2019s just for fun or to find out whether they\u2019d like to take an Open University course in the future.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/man_headphones_learning-800x600.jpg\")
“82% of all job openings requesting digital skills” <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Success across the nations with OU free learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n