Vital Skills Boost courses now available from all four colleges in the East Central Scotland Colleges Collaboration – could help those who have lost jobs due to the pandemic, back into employment.
Lasting for up to 12 weeks, Skills Boost courses are an ideal way to upskill for specific industry sectors, to enhance digital skills or to refine employability and core skills to maximise job opportunities.
They have been unveiled as part of FVC’s range of Reset Courses to be offered as part of the exciting new East Central Scotland Colleges Collaboration. Skills Boost courses can also be undertaken if the prospective student is on furlough and over the age of 25 to be eligible for the National Training Transition Fund (NTTF).
The Skills Boost courses include: Health Care Practice, Hospitality Refresh, Cyber Awareness, Media and Communications (Communications, Content Creation and Media Literacy) and Preparation for Employment.
In the Computer section of the Department of Creative Industries, Hospitality and Tourism, a Cyber Awareness Skills Boost course is on offer. It is a part-time course consisting of 11 hours per week for a period of 12 weeks.
Vivien Gallacher Curriculum Manager for Computing, said: “This course is aimed at anyone who wants to keep themselves and/or their business safe online. Cyber awareness is now an essential life skill which will enhance your attractiveness to employers, while learning both how and why to be cyber aware. What makes this course particularly appealing and exciting to prospective students, is that this option would be suitable for those who are furloughed, or just have some time on their hands and want to be cyber aware.”
The FVC Creative Industries department is offering three different Skills Boost courses: Communication (One), Media Literacy (two) and Content Creation (three). Specifically these courses are aimed at people who want to develop a portfolio of work in digital media to increase their employment opportunities in the fields of digital and social media, marketing and content creation for online business, or to perhaps progress on to enhanced level courses.
The Skills Boost one course – Communication - is set to start on Monday 15 March and last for two weeks and have 22 hour per week commitment to study. Students will be expected to work independently in addition to these hours to fulfil the course briefs.
Fi Milligan Rennie, Curriculum Manager in FVC’s Department of Creative Industries, said: “These courses are designed to meet live client briefs. This means they effectively mirror work placements, while developing knowledge and skills in digital media.
“Every student will have the opportunity to develop a portfolio of work to share with prospective employers and/or ‘graduate’ to our exclusive Skills Boost two and three programmes. These programmes are to further develop students’ knowledge and skills in the Digital Media Arena. Both Skills Boost two and three give students the opportunity to attain SQA units. Skills Boost three graduates may also progress to our intensive summer ‘bootcamp’ and on successful completion, be guaranteed a place on the second year of our HND Media and Communications programme.”
Similarly completion of the free 12 week Health Care Practice course can lead onto entry to the HNC Care and Admin Practice, and the six week free Hospitality Refresher also consists of a two week work placement, to help to develop skills needed for employment in the food and drink industry.
The Collaboration initiative launched last month, involves Edinburgh College, Fife College, West Lothian College and FVC aims to deliver skills and opportunities in Scotland to support the economic recovery, currently suffering from the effects of the pandemic lockdown.
Each college will offer a comprehensive skills programme – including Accelerator (Fast Track) and Skills Boost courses - all designed to help meet the future needs of their specific communities as well as the country as a whole.
You can find out more by visiting https://www.forthvalley.ac.uk/reset