New courses to boost people’s skills backed by Peterborough and Cambridgeshire mayor

An Hour to Skill is a new campaign to encourage people to set aside one hour to take a free course from The Skills Toolkit - an online platform giving access to free digital, numeracy and employability courses to help people build up their skills, progress in work and boost job prospects.

The Skills Toolkit features more than 70 courses designed by some of the nation’s top employers and educational institutions including Amazon Web Services, FutureLearn, Cisco, Lloyds Bank, LinkedIn Learning and Microsoft and The Open University.

Since launching in April last year, there have already been more than 130,000 registrations for courses via the online platform.

The courses aim to enhance individuals’ job prospects, giving them easy access to skills that could unlock job opportunities in a competitive market, or help them get ahead in their current role.

People can dip in and out of their chosen course at their leisure, choosing to learn whenever it suits them best.

By highlighting flexible options for developing skills, The Skills Toolkit aims to help boost the UK economy as it recovers from the impact of Covid-19 as part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs.

Mayor James Palmer is urging people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to make the most of the courses on offer via the The Skills Toolkit, saying: “I am thrilled to be backing the An Hour to Skill campaign, encouraging people to dedicate just one hour a week to online learning by taking a free course from The Skills Toolkit.

“The toolkit is a great way for people to learning something new at their own pace in a way that fits around everyday life.

“The online platform gives you access to free, high-quality digital, numeracy and employability courses and demonstrates the kind of different delivery that I am passionate about. I am urging everyone to make the most of this brilliant resource.

“The multitude of courses on offer are a really manageable and flexible way for people to enhance their existing skills and also develop new skills that employers are actively looking for.”

Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills Gillian Keegan said: “I’m delighted to launch An Hour to Skill and thank all of the great organisations that have joined forces to help boost the nation’s skills and job prospects at such an important time for our economy.

“Progressing your learning doesn’t have to be a mammoth task – spending just one hour a week on a free online course can make a real difference to your earning potential.

“We’re confident that learning through The Skills Toolkit can give you the skills employers are looking for.”

To access The Skills Toolkit, visit: gov.uk/theskillstoolkit.