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Dave Hardy’s employees have had quite a lot of downtime the past couple of years. His two businesses – the events company Glory Days and the apartment company Destination Edinburgh – had periods of total inactivity due to Covid-19 and lockdown restrictions, with employees furloughed through the quiet times.

Sometimes in the workplace new projects or new job roles require employees to learn or refresh their skills quickly and efficiently. This might be brushing up on a language they last practised at school, or something to build knowledge around a new technology, customer, market or sector. A short, focused learning programme can play dividends and help the organisation succeed.

When Martyn Carroll left school at 16, he didn’t realise he had dyslexia and simply thought higher education wasn’t for him. He’s now proving just what he’s capable of thanks to a degree apprenticeship with The Open University and South Western Railway.

Ever since she was a child, Fola Yusuf-Adewuyi wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a nurse. Years later, and now a mum of three herself, Fola is living her dream and is one of the first Nursing Associates to qualify through an innovative Open University apprenticeship.

The first Nurse Associates have qualified from Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT), through its new Nursing Academy in partnership with The Open University (OU).

Euan Murning first heard about the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF) from the membership body Scottish Care. Once he explored it further and learned more about the opportunity – funded training up to the value of £5,000 – it didn’t take him long to decide that it was an excellent prospect for him and his staff. “You don’t often get the chance to access high quality training that is funded,” he says.

The UK skills shortage is being felt across every sector, region and nation of the UK. In Northern Ireland, 69 per cent of employers report a skills shortage in their organisation, with nearly half (46%) saying their biggest challenge over the next five years will be their ability to find staff with the right skills. These findings are taken from The Open University’s (OU) latest Business Barometer report, published in partnership with The Institute of Directors (IoD).

Frances Mahony works as a Software Engineer for Shell Energy Retail and is a Digital and Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprentice at The Open University. As a new recipient of Degree Apprenticeship Certificate of Merit from Tech Industry Gold, we caught up with Frances to talk about aspirations, opportunities and access to Higher Education via her Degree Apprenticeship.

People with a strong interest in moving into a digital career have an opportunity to change their fortunes for the better.

After 15 years as a network specialist, Simon jumped at the chance to broaden his skills with a Digital and Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprenticeship. Not only that but he managed to get married, move house and welcome his second child at the same time.