The University of Aberdeen is offering over 1,100 fully funded places on a range of its online courses, as it encourages people in the north-east of Scotland to 'take the first step' towards a new job or career progression.
The University of Aberdeen is offering over 1,100 fully funded places on a range of its online courses, as it encourages people in the north-east of Scotland to ‘take the first step’ towards a new job or career progression.
Starting from September and continuing throughout the academic year 2021/22, the University is offering fully funded places across over 60 online courses. The initiative is backed by national funding designed to support upskilling and retraining opportunities and help people and businesses respond to the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are opportunities for flexible, free undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuous professional development (CPD) study across a broad sweep of topics and disciplines including digital skills, energy transition, engineering, leadership and management, law, health, and many more.
This will also include free study spaces on the University’s online access courses in Maths and English, which are often the first step for people wishing to train, or retrain, including for primary or secondary school teaching. This further offer of funded online course from the University follows the success of efforts to help local people upskill or retrain over the last academic year 2020/21, where hundreds benefited from free and discounted study schemes supported by the University, including its own Aberdeen Community Discount, and through the Scottish Funding Council’s Upskilling Fund.
Professor Alan Speight, Vice Principal (Global Student Recruitment) at the University, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer over 1,100 free places on a broad range of our online courses from September, supported by national funding intended to help people gain new skills that will support local economic recovery in key areas and mitigate the risk of unemployment.
“It’s especially exciting that we are, for the first time, able to offer free spaces on our popular access courses in Maths and English, which are often a springboard for teacher training opportunities, but will be of wider interest to many with technical and other existing skills who are considering a new career and need to obtain these qualifications to access further training.
“The vast range of courses the University has on offer will allow people to be flexible in their choices, with part-time study options that are designed to fit around full-time work. This means that people can choose a learning option to suit their individual circumstances, helping them to take the first step towards a promotion, or even a change in their career.”
Professor George Boyne, University Principal, added: “Throughout the last academic year, the University was at the forefront of supporting local workers and businesses in their response to the impact of the pandemic and other challenges, providing people with the chance to engage in free and discounted study opportunities at a time when many required financial assistance to support their training needs.
“We are proud to be able to do so again, as we continue to play our part in supporting local economic recovery by equipping people with new skills that enhance their career prospects. We encourage anyone who is interested in the opportunities on offer to visit our website and find out more.”